In a tense game of chicken, remarkable for its mix of petulance and audacity, congressional Republicans are threatening to halt U.S. aid to Ukraine—guaranteeing a Russian breakthrough and possible victory in that war—unless Democrats help pass a bill that all but locks down America’s Southern border.
If the impasse isn’t resolved by the end of next week, when Congress goes on recess until the new year, the Ukrainian army could run out of ammunition. President Joe Biden could resupply the arsenal from U.S. stockpiles without legislative approval, but the move would be temporary, and the signal sent—that Ukraine, and by implication other allies, can no longer count on U.S. support in a pinch—could be a holiday cork-popper for Russian President Vladimir Putin and all of our other adversaries.
It’s not like the US is supporting Ukraine alone. We just happen to have the best weapons, and a vested interest in containing Putin’s authoritarian ambitions. Providing material support to Ukraine without putting our own boots on the ground is a win all around.
One reason Putin went to such efforts to stop Clinton from winning here is because she knows who he is and was very effective at quietly neutralizing him. Now we’re dealing with his ambitions in action, and we’re not doing it alone.
Right but how is it we are held accountable every time our fucked political system puts Ukraine in jeopardy. If my neighbor was losing his house and I paid his rent so he could stay another month who the fuck would expect me to keep supporting them indefinitely?
I would challenge our media to say it how it is, “Ukraine may fall and Americans can do nothing to stop it.”
If your neighbor ends up homeless, what do you he’ll do to survive? Anything? Do you think that maybe helping your neighbor might contribute to the health and safety of your community better than if you leave him in desperate straits?
But let’s make the metaphor match the situation a little closer. Your neighbor across the street is dealing with another neighbor who wants their property. They won’t sell, so the other neighbor is getting violent to get their way. Not your problem, right? Not until that neighbor comes after you, and with your arsenal they wouldn’t dare do that, right? That will certainly help keep the peace in the neighborhood.
Being a good neighbor means more than just ignoring what’s happening on the other side of the fence. Strong communities look out for each other and help where they can. That applies internationally as well as locally.
My international friends, America is struggling. Fascism is at our door step. I love you very much but we were never very good at the role of ‘world cop’, which we made up, anyway. Superman is a God. Batman is the joker.
We have the means. We only lack the will, because the fascists in our government want to emulate Putin. Becoming isolationist won’t solve our problems. Punching our own Nazis before the rest of the world has to do it for us is the only way.
If we go the way of Nazi Germany, we’ll deserve the same treatment we have to them.
I’m only arguing America is not on the hook for any funding they didn’t get. Not that it’s right or good. When we look in the mirror though we have to see that person and tell them, we need help.
But we are on the hook because we will absolutely have to deal with the consequences in the future. Not stopping Russia here, in Ukraine, will reverberate for decades.
Tell that to the party of “law and order”
False dichotomy. Spending money helping Ukraine is not helping fascists at home.
Never said it was. So… ???
What you said came across that way to me.
So?
So that’s why I said what I said. Nothing deeper than that.