Editor’s Corner

Jennifer Castle

It often feels like I’m dragging myself across the finish line of an academic year, but it honestly just feels so much worse since the pandemic. I suspect many of you are also feeling some level of exhaustion, so writing and publishing may not be a priority. I get it, which is why DttP might seem a little light of late. That being said, since GODORT is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, and I thought it’d be worth taking a look at early publications to see how far we’ve come. The oldest issue available online is from November 1974, and I found a piece written by Jaia Heymann, who was elected chair of the Clearinghouse September 1974 through March 1975, and later stepped into the role of editor in September 1976 and stayed until June the next year.1 It’s quite funny and interesting that some of the same problems DttP was experiencing then are still happening, including the need for content. I hope you take the time to read her piece!

Something that’s had significant attention recently, and rightfully so, is the Russian invasion of Ukraine. For those of us who existed during the Cold War, this event may be particularly stressful—our culture was permeated with references to espionage and the threat of nuclear warfare. I remember watching War Games, terrified how easily mutually assured destruction could happen; my husband remembers being traumatized by The Day After because of its depiction of a nuclear war between the United State and the Soviet Union.

Russian President Vladimir Putin characterized the attack as a “special military operation” to “perform peacekeeping functions” in the eastern portion of Ukraine, which aimed to “demilitarize and denazify” the Kyiv government to “protect the people” in the Donbas region, who he said have been “facing humiliation and genocide” for eight years.2 Two days before the invasion, Russian formally recognized the separatist-controlled Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics.3

In response, the United States imposed a round of sanctions, just as it did in 2014 when Russia launched a military intervention that resulted in the annexation of Crimea and sparked the Donbas war, and continues to increase and expand them as the war wages on.4 The effectiveness of sanctions has been debated since Russia hasn’t reversed any of its decisions, has threatened neighboring Finland and Sweden with nuclear weapons and hypersonic missiles if they join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and has allegedly committed war crimes.5 Despite Putin’s public reasoning for liberating pro-Russian Ukrainians, it appears the real aim is to topple the pro-Western government and ensure the country doesn’t become a member of NATO or the European Union.

With known efficacy, the US government has so far has committed about $3.2 billion in security assistance, including about $2.6 billion since the invasion through measures like the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) and the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA).6 Congress also passed a $13.6 billion emergency aid package: the Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2022.7 Russia has lost significant ground in and around the capital city of Kyiv, and the northern front since March. In a significant blow, the Moskva, flagship of the Black Sea Fleet, was sunk.8 While it’s too soon to tell which way the invasion will ultimately go, it has caused a serious humanitarian and refugee crisis that has long-lasting and far-reaching implications. As of March 16, it’s estimated 6.48 million people have been displaced and 3.2 million are refugees—half of them children.9 The US Citizenship and Immigration Services granted an 18-month temporary protection status for Ukrainian nationals living in the United States, and has pledged to provide refuge to“100,000 Ukrainians and others fleeing Russia’s aggression through the full range of legal pathways, including the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program.”10 At the time this editorial was written, the invasion has been going on for more than two months, and according to data recorded by the Ukrainian prosecutor general’s office, approximately 4,000 civilians have been killed and more than 4,000 injured as of April 24.11

To end on a more positive note, festivities have been scheduled for the 50th anniversary at the ALA conference this month. While I’ll be unable to attend, I know a lot of planning went into making it special, so I hope much merriment is had! For the fall issue, expect highlights and photos from the celebration, and more fascinating pieces from the DttP vault.

Jennifer Castle (dttp.editor@gmail.com), Reference and Government Documents Librarian, Tennessee State University

Notes

1. Lois Mills, Larry Romans, and Sandy Peterson, 2002. “A History of the Government Documents Round Table of the American Library Association, 1972-1992,” American Library Association, 2002, https://www.ala.org/rt/sites/ala.org.rt/files/content/godortcrted/GODORT_history_final.pdf.
2. Bloomberg News, “Transcript: Vladimir Putin’s Televised Address on Ukrain,” February 24, 2022, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-02-24/full-transcript-vladimir-putin-s-televised-address-to-russia-on-ukraine-feb-24; Kiselyova, Maria, “Putin Orders Russian Forces to ‘Perform Peacekeeping Functions’ in Eastern Ukraine’s Breakaway Regions,” Reuters, February 22, 2022, https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/putin-orders-russian-peacekeepers-eastern-ukraines-two-breakaway-regions-2022-02-21/.
3. Bloomberg News, “Transcript: Vladimir Putin’s Televised Address on Ukrain.”
4. Colry Welt, Rebecca M. Nelson, and Dianne E. Rennack, “U.S. Sanctions on Russia Related to the Ukraine Conflict.” HeinOnline, February 26, 2018, https://heinonline.org/HOL/P?h=hein.crs/govcexs0001&i=1; Cory Welt et al., “U.S. Sanctions on Russia,” Congressional Research Service, January 18, 2022, https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R45415.
5. Guy Faulcounbridge, “Russia Warns of Nuclear, Hypersonic Deployment if Sweden and Finland Join NATO,” Reuters, April 14, 2022, https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russia-warns-baltic-nuclear-deployment-if-nato-admits-sweden-finland-2022-04-14/; Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner, “Update on the human rights situation in Ukraine,” April 2022, https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/2022-03/HRMMU_Update_2022-03-26_EN.pdf.
6. Ned Price, “Secretary Blinken and Secretary Austin’s Travel to Ukraine,” State.gov, April 25, 2022, https://www.state.gov/secretary-blinken-and-secretary-austins-travel-to-ukraine/; John F. Kirby, “Defense Department Announces $300 Million in Additional Assistance for Ukraine,” Defense.gov, April 1, 2022, https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/2987119/defense-department-announces-300-million-in-additional-assistance-for-ukraine/; US Department of Defense, “Fact Sheet on US Security Assistance for Ukraine (Roll Up) As of April 21, 2022,” Defense.gov, April 22, 2022, https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3007664/fact-sheet-on-us-security-assistance-for-ukraine-roll-up-as-of-april-21-2022/.
7. Rick Scott, “Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2022,” Congress.gov, March 10, 2022, https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/3811/text.
8. Anastasyia Kalatur, “Sumy Region Liberated from Russian Troops,” Pravda.com.ua, April 8, 2022, https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2022/04/8/7338013/; S. Sardarizadeh and L. Sands, “Ukraine War: Dramatic Images Appear to Show Sinking Russian Warship Moskva,” BBC.com, April 18, 2022, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-61141118.
9. Rhoda Margesson and Derek E. Mix, “Humanitarian and Refugee Crisis in Ukraine,” Congressional Research Service, March 18, 2022, https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IN/IN11882.
10. The White House, “FACT SHEET: The Biden Administration Announces New Humanitarian, Development, and Democracy Assistance to Ukraine and the Surrounding Region,” press release, March 24, 2022, https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/03/24/fact-sheet-the-biden-administration-announces-new-humanitarian-development-and-democracy-assistance-to-ukraine-and-the-surrounding-region/; US Department of Defense, “Fact Sheet on U.S. Security Assistance for Ukraine (Roll Up) As of April 21, 2022”; US Citizenship and Immigration Services, Department of Homeland Security, “Designation of Ukraine for Temporary Protected Status,” Federalregister.gov, April 19, 2022, https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/04/19/2022-08390/designation-of-ukraine-for-temporary-protected-status.
11. Interfax-Ukraine, “Some 3,818 Ukrainian Civilians Die due to Russian Aggression, over 4,000 People Injured,” Interfax-Ukraine News Agency, April 24, 2022, https://interfax.com.ua/news/general/826914.html.