There is a growing uncertainty over the future of Ukraine. In a poll conducted by CNN, 71% of Republicans stated that “the US has done enough to support Ukraine”. Many leading Republican candidates including former President Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis have advocated for a decrease in American military assistance for Ukraine. Generally, Republicans argue that domestic affairs such as the Maui Wildfires and illegal immigration from Venezuela and Central America trump international causes such as Ukraine.
From my perspective, I disagree with this argument. My father and his immediate family left Ukraine (formerly the USSR) decades ago. They immigrated to the United States to access greater economic opportunity and escape anti-semitism that was rampant at the time. Many other family members left following the Chernobyl nuclear disaster where radioactive material posed a hazardous risk to those living in Kyiv and the greater northern Ukraine (as well as those living in Southern Belarus). Following the collapse of the USSR and the subsequent emergence of a Ukrainian state, some, while be it not all, began to immigrate back to the country. When the war began, my uncle fled his home in Kyiv with what clothes, money, and documents he could fit in his backpack. He ended up in Den Haag, where the Dutch government has provided assistance to him and many other refugees during these difficult times.
In 30 years of existence, the Ukrainian state has been plagued by turmoil. Russian sponsored separatists in the Donbas have led to instability in the East. The invasion of Crimea in 2014 further destabilized the country. Until recent reforms under Zelenskyy, oligarchs dominated the Ukrainian political scene, resulting in a more elitist than participatory democracy. According to data published by the Council of Europe Economic Crime and Cooperation Division in 2018, Ukraine is second to Russia for the most corruption in Europe.
I agree with the claim made by some Republicans that Ukraine is not a perfect democratic nation. However, that doesn't mean that we should discredit Ukraine's right to become one. When former President Victor Yanukovych refused to strengthen ties with the EU despite overwhelming opposition to his decision from the Ukrainian people, they protested. This protest evolved into a revolution to overthrow the Yanukovych government which acted as a proxy for Russian interest. This resulted in a much more free and democratic Ukrainian state.
The Ukrainian people want a better future, and are willing to do what is needed to achieve one. Even though it has technically been independent since 1991, through unwanted influence and the tyrannical actions of Putin's Russia, Ukraine has lacked the self determination to control its own destiny. The early and militarily weak United States would have failed to achieve independence from the much larger Britain if not for the assistance of the French. I see a parallel between this history and American support for Ukraine today.
A truly independent Ukraine is impossible without American support. Ukraine fights for many of the same reasons the colonists fought for: independence, self determination, and liberty in the face of tyranny. To support these principles while preventing another from achieving them is hypocrisy. As the war wages on and peace is far from reach, it remains essential that Americans hold hope for Ukraine. Victory is not guaranteed; however without support defeat is. We have come too far to go back, and if we truly believe in freedom, we need to continue backing those who are fighting for it. While the United States is not obligated to be the world's policeman, unchecked tyranny makes the world less safe. As elections approach, the future of Ukraine becomes once again uncertain. Regardless of who you support politically, take a second or two to research your preferred candidate's stance on Ukraine. Vote with your own values in mind and be mindful of how your preferred candidate's policy will impact everyone, including the people of Ukraine. I may be biased; however, I ask you to consider my perspective and argument when developing your position on American support for Ukraine.
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8 comments:
Something I find annoying about the Russo-ukrainian war is people's reluctance to help Ukraine because of the possibility of Russia directly attacking the U.S (and starting a nuclear war). At this point Russia's nuclear arsenal is essentially being held over the world's head to say "Let us do whatever we want or else we'll destroy everyone...including ourselves". The U.S. can draw a line with Russia now or it can do so later but the situation is starting to grow eerily similar to Britain's policy of appeasement during Nazi Germany. At any rate, one needs to understand that Russia understands what it means to start using its nuclear weapons. Russia will only do so when they feel that they have absolutely nothing to lose. The U.S., rather than tip-toeing around Russia, should understand this line in the ground and stand firmly against Russia, while also preserving their independence and security.
I agree with your stance on why America should continue to provide aid to Ukraine. Like you mentioned, supporting Ukraine lines up with many of the values that Americans have held dear for centuries. I think another important reason for America to continue supporting Ukraine is because of the threat Russia poses to not just Ukraine, but much of Eastern Europe. I saw a social media post a couple days ago in which one of Putin's generals suggested that Ukraine is only a "stepping stone" for Russia in Eastern Europe, and that there war will not just stop in Ukraine. It seem, just like with the USSR, modern day Russia wants to expand its influence (and probably its rule) to many other Eastern European nations. During the Cold War, US aid was critical to many struggling countries in the region, such as Greece and Turkey, resisting USSR influence. The collective security system the US and other western nations implemented through NATO was also essential for many of the smaller European countries to be able to resist aggression from the USSR. Considering that this strategy was quite successful during the Cold War, I think it is critical that the US continue to support Ukraine during their war with Russia, and that Ukraine perhaps even join NATO, in order to ensure the sovereignty and security of Ukraine and all other Eastern European nations.
https://www.newsweek.com/russian-general-admits-ukraine-just-stepping-stone-invade-europe-1825776
I really like how you addressed the complexity of Ukraine having its mistakes, but being worth fighting for. Establishing a democracy is a lengthy process (as seen in American history), and giving them an opportunity to improve as a nation is important. I also appreciate the connection you drew between the American revolution as a newer nation fighting for independence from a world power, and Ukraine being put in a similar position.
While I agree with your claims about the US being a democratic nation that should look out for other democratic nations, I disagree with the reasons why we shouldn’t. We, as the US, cannot do too much overseas especially as Russia is a big country that has recently grown in both economic and social power. Making enemies out of Russia, by defending Ukraine, would not only be extremely dangerous but would also push the US further into the possibility of WW3 especially because Russia and China have formed alliances. Not only would supporting Ukraine further cause turmoil across the globe, but it would also be problematic for the US. One way to explain this is by referencing the American Revolution regarding the French Revolution. During the American Revolution, the US was working to establish their government. And despite all the values and things the young country stood for they weren’t in a position to be joining their ally France in their war for independence. Despite all France had done for the US, we as a nation were neither prepared nor capable of joining a new war. And I agree with the sense that the US should back Ukraine as an ally. But right now America is struggling on our territory, with unregulated immigration, fentanyl crisis, impeachment trial, great division, and much more. The US first needs to work on establishing a stable government before we reach out to aid foreign countries. On a moral standard yes, I agree we should assist Ukraine but doing more than providing resources and money would be an overstep and could lead to more complications between the US, Russia, China, and potentially the globe.
I believe that the United States should support Ukraine in its fight against Russia to a certain degree. To me, that degree is when supporting Ukraine overshadows problems occurring in our own country. For example, the United States sends billions of dollars to support the war effort in Ukraine which would be fine, if everything in our country was perfect. Evidently, however, it isn't. Notably, the fires on Maui cost the lives of hundreds of people and billions of dollars worth of damages. Instead of allocating money to send to our own soil to help with the recovery of our own citizens, we have been sending large amounts of money overseas, not the Pacific, to support our ally in the face of tyranny. We should not be supporting other countries before we are able to support our own country. Additionally, we are not the only country that is allied with Ukraine. The rest of NATO could step in and fill the hole of support that we would leave if we were to focus on our own country first. I don't want this to come off like I hate Ukraine because I don't, I also have relatives who immigrated from Odesa Ukraine. There is just a line between supporting our allies, and putting them above our own people.
It is true that without American support, Ukraine will most likely lose the war. The question is how much money do we have to donate until the conflict gets extinguished. The United States has already spent $135 billion on the total aid of Ukraine. With the U.S. being 30 trillion dollars in debt, they don't have the money to be spending on Ukraine. We already have a lot to deal with right now such as the damages from recent hurricanes and fires. Finding a way to de-escalate the situation is a near impossible task without spending money, and other countries need to step up. The next leading donator towards Ukraine is Germany with 6.2 billion dollars. I believe that with an equal support from other countries in NATO, the tides could shift in favor of Ukraine.
This war has been culminating for years, and due to America's involvement it is becoming another fragmented event associated with the continuing Cold War. While I do agree that America may not have needed to send as much money as it did to Ukraine, America has some obligation to fight off Russia as one of the foremost democratic nations of the world. If we call our nation a leader in democracy, then we better act like it. This whole conflict has shifted into a proxy war between Russia and the US, and we really can't afford to step back now. We can't take an isolationist position at this point, it would look pretty bad for the US and show weakness in the UN, so the best thing we can do is support Ukraine and hope that the conflict is resolved soon, before the situation escalates anymore than it already has and before more lives are lost.
I agree with your opinion that America should support Ukraine in the war. As others have mentioned above, many countries are hesitant to help the Ukraine people because they risk being attacked themselves. However, if Ukraine were to fall to Russia, many more people would be killed than already have been, and Russia will grow even more powerful, expanding the huge amount of territory they already have. With this added power and territory, countries would be more susceptible to attacks than they are currently. America's continued support could reduce this chance greatly, protecting the lives of Ukrainians and possibly others in the future. While these things may be true, as you said in your post, some may say that America cannot be obligated to help out any country in danger, especially with nuclear weapons being involved on both sides, and with Ukraine not being a nation that is apart of NATO. If it were, the U.S. would have been obligated to send troops. Theoretically, if they were to send troops and attempt to create stability in a foreign nation, the U.S. would risk instability domestically and the loss of countless lives at the hand of nuclear weapons. With the amount of lives that would be lost, no one would win that war. For this reason, I think the U.S. should continue to support the Ukraine with weapons and other vital military necessities, but should not offer up its troops.
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