The U.S. has been involved in both Russia-Ukraine and Israel wars by supporting them with abundant resources. The assistance of support in both countries shares similarities and could lead to positive and negative impacts on civilians. According to the Council on Foreign Relations, during the Russia-Ukraine war, the U.S. provided humanitarian, financial, and military aid. Among 61% of the aid was security assistance, weapons, and equipment, and only 5% served as humanitarian aid. This big difference in aid illustrates that much of the aid has gone toward providing military systems, training, and intelligence demanding Ukrainian commanders to defend against Russia. Many Western analysts believe that the military assistance provided has been crucial in helping Ukraine because if Russia won, Putin might pursue similar aggressive actions in other powerful countries. So support for Ukraine is seen as a way to prevent these negative outcomes. But why is the U.S. providing more military assistance than humanitarian aid? One reason is the U.S. political considerations. Domestic and international politics can influence aid decisions. U.S. policymakers may face pressure from various interest groups, including defense contractors, that advocate for military aid. And it depends on the situation, goals, and interests. U.S. policymakers must make logical decisions and estimate potential conflicts that might provoke a larger confrontation with Russia.
Compared to the assistance for the Israel war, this year, the U.S. has been providing 14.4 billion dollars, which is more than 11 billion more than the funds for Ukraine. According to the Congressional Research Service, most funds are also used for military aid rather than economic. Recently, Secretary Blinken has been advocating the importance of humanitarian aid such as food, shelter, and medical assistance. However, as seen in the data, the U.S. has been conducting more military drills, holding its largest one ever. Part of President Biden’s political team announced that they believe their support is demonstrating a “moral clarity” in protecting Israel from terrorists. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in U.S. officials also said, “We can do both and we will do both.” However, the Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder challenged these purposes by saying both Russia and Israel war used military assistance as an advantage and justification for their violent actions. Both countries claim to target only military objectives but often end up causing harm to innocent civilians, sometimes without acknowledging this fact. Both their armed forces exhibit the same amount of aggression. It appears that the Russian military is seven outpacing the Israeli military in brutality and is accused of committing war crimes against a defenseless civilian population.
Over the past few years, there have been so many large-scale wars that made me recognize that brutality is happening consistently everywhere and the world is not so ever in peace. While I was watching the news videos recorded during the violent attack in Gaza, I saw families fleeing with their injured children, desperately seeking assistance. It was heart-wrenching to see ambulances unable to navigate due to numerous casualties blocking the way. I felt helpless, guilty, and lucky that the country where I lived was relatively safe, but I could not prevent the violence in their homeland or the violence that might happen elsewhere in the future. While some military assistance may be necessary to a certain extent, I think it should not be excessive. What nations genuinely require is a focus on promoting peace and stability rather than resorting to violence.
Sources:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/10/12/ukraine-israel-war-russia-effects-attention/
https://www.state.gov/u-s-security-cooperation-with-ukraine/
https://www.cfr.org/article/how-much-aid-has-us-sent-ukraine-here-are-six-charts
5 comments:
It is really appalling to see time and time again that the US is willing to send a significantly larger amount of military goods of mass destruction to various conflicts in the world rather than providing humanitarian aid or supplies. Eisenhower warned us over 50+ years ago of the growing military industrial complex, and this situation is very indicative of the fact that the US has little regard for human life, and would rather prioritize monetary gain. It is quite ironic to be the "leader of the free world", while supplying endless amounts of weapons purely designed to cut the lives of human beings. Sure, they are supposedly being used against terrorists, which is great and all, but we can't deny that there are thousands upon thousands of civilians also being caught (perhaps even intentionally at times) due to these weapons. I like to think that America isn't absolved of guilt for the death of those civilians just because they were only the providers. From the way the media portrays this whole conflict, it is quite clear that a cease-fire is not really supported, which from the perspective of defense contractors is a great sign. Man why can't this country stop war profiteering.
I really liked this post because I completly agree that nations and more specifically the US should focus on promoting peace and stability. Everytime the US involves itself into a war, the amount of military aid the countries at war receive is completly insanse. I do belive that the US should help those countries in need but it should focus on those that are stuck in between to countries/leaders fighting. Many aren't as lucky as others, lots flee their country and seek refuge, but others are killed, trapped, suck in a dangerous place. The United States should consider sending humanitarian aid then just military aid that keeps killing instead of stopping more deaths to occur. I don't know how many wars need to happen for countries, for the US, to realize that humanitarian aid is also important.
This is striking as to how screwed up our political system is at this moment. It speaks volumes to what our country wants: money over lives. Both parties are all too willing to spend billions on weapons to countries overseas while making almost no effort to solve problems in our own country, such as poverty, police brutality, or discrimination. The incentive for politicians to make money from military industrial lobbying far outweighs their desire to improve humanity.
The least they can do is to send humanitarian aid to these countries, but their efforts weren't exactly passionate. The best we can do as individuals is to publicize and expose these types of events, which this posts does a great job at.
This is striking as to how screwed up our political system is at this moment. It speaks volumes to what our country wants: money over lives. Both parties are all too willing to spend billions on weapons to countries overseas while making almost no effort to solve problems in our own country, such as poverty, police brutality, or discrimination. The incentive for politicians to make money from military industrial lobbying far outweighs their desire to improve humanity.
The least they can do is to send humanitarian aid to these countries, but their efforts weren't exactly passionate. The best we can do as individuals is to publicize and expose these types of events, which this posts does a great job at.
I think that the difference in the funds for weapons compared the funds for humanitarian aid is really telling. The US can continue to pour money into this war, but the important thing to recognize is the toll this is taking on the lives of Ukrainians. If the US mainly funds weapons and tools for violence, then obviously the result will be more violence and death. It is important for leaders to stop just thinking about gaining power, and start thinking about the people who are suffering. Rethinking the amount of money that goes to humanitarian aid is not unreasonable, especially because so much money is being spent on weapons. I think they should shift the budget and cut back on the amount of weapons being supplied, which might promote less violence and provide more humanitarian aid.
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