Photo/Illutration Czech President Petr Pavel, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, U.S. President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron attend the international ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the 1944 D-Day landings and the liberation of Western Europe from Nazi Germany occupation, at Omaha Beach in Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer, Normandy region, France, on June 6. (REUTERS/Benoit Tessier)

On the night of June 5, 1944, French Resistance fighters in Nazi-occupied France were listening to coded messages being broadcast by the BBC (Radio London) when one took their breaths away.

“The dice are on the carpet,” it went, which was exactly what they had been eagerly waiting for—to prepare for imminent Allied landings in Normandy.

The next day, the waters off the northwest French coast and the skies above teemed with warships and aircraft manned by troops from the United States, Britain and other nations.

Known as D-Day and the Normandy Campaign, this Allied offensive of June 6 exactly 80 years ago became one of the most significant turning points of World War II.

When an individual emerges, trampling upon the international order and intent on satisfying a lust for territorial expansion, how should the world fight back?

We are still asking ourselves the same question in the 21st century.

The D-Day memorial ceremony of 10 years ago was held a mere three months after the Russian annexation of Crimea.

Russian President Vladimir Putin was invited to the ceremony and conferred with several leaders of other nations, even though it doesn’t feel right today.

I remember hoping at the time that Putin would awaken to the folly of resorting to “brute force,” but he did not.

Had the international community played hardball with Russia back then, could the tragedies that ensued have been averted?

History is woven by the complex interlacing of “choices and results.” We are unable to see where the road goes, even when we are walking on it.

Still, we cannot just cast a die and leave the future of the human race to chance.

“Die” is the singular form of “dice.”

In Ukraine and Gaza, people are being forced to “die,” even as we speak.

--The Asahi Shimbun, June 7

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.