Hello.
Today (Feb 24) marks the first anniversary of Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine.
Just like how Crimea was annexed in days, Russian President Vladimir Putin expected Ukraine to fall before the West could mobilise to stop him. A year on, it is clear that Putin underestimated the resilience of his enemy, and overestimated the offensive capability of his army, says Robert Kelly.
While Putin reaffirmed ties with China, the US and NATO rallied around Ukraine. US President Joe Biden’s surprise visit to Kyiv, just days before the one-year mark of the Ukraine invasion, demonstrated that Western support will not wane, and that Putin’s gambit on Western moral weakness and short-term thinking will fail this year just as it did the last, says James Carouso.
Meanwhile, in Singapore, parliamentary debate commenced one week after Budget 2023 was delivered. A chief theme so far has been better support for families, as the country grapples with an ageing population and falling fertility rates.
This year’s Budget helps alleviate rising costs of child-rearing for some – but money alone cannot build a family-friendly nation, says June Yong. And with Singapore’s fertility rate remaining low despite two decades of parental support measures, it’s unclear if incentives alone are enough to convince parents to have more babies, says NUS’ Kelvin Seah, who himself is stopping at one child.
Another much-discussed measure has been the doubling of paid paternity leave to four weeks. It’s uncertain if dads will take full advantage if employers do not do their part. But taking time off to care for newborns or even older children is critical, every family benefits from parents taking more leave, says father-of-four Adrian Tan.
We hope you enjoy our selection of commentaries this week.
Erin Low
Commentary, CNA Digital
.jpg?itok=fHkrjj4c "Putin's last chance to end Ukraine war on Russian terms is ending soon 35")
