WHY UKRAINE DOES NOT MATTER TO AMERICA
By: Stevenson Matthews
opinion
TRUENEWSBLOG – In his State of the Union address, President Biden tried to explain why Ukraine matters to Americans and he failed miserably because Ukraine matters no more to Americans than Burundi matters to Americans. What is happening in Ukraine has nothing to do with the broader economic and political challenges facing Americans, and we shouldn’t worry too much about that. Also, Americans don’t want to be dragged into any more endless foreign wars on another continent, especially one that could go nuclear pretty quickly.
Ukraine is a former Soviet republic with deep historical ties to Russia. Since the split of the USSR, the Ukrainian government has tried to modernize and move closer to Western Europe. They have a freely elected government and are trying to break away from Russia’s shadow; Therefore, they want to become a member of NATO, but the truth is that the more politically different Ukraine becomes, the scarier it becomes.
The geographic accident and the ties between the two countries make Ukraine a geopolitical conflict with profound and serious potential repercussions for any Western nation looking to test its military might by defending what amounts to a family feud.
Ukraine is not and has not been a major country or partner of the United States politically or economically. For us, Ukraine is more of a liability than a partner. In the last decade, after the Orange Revolution, Ukrainians, especially young people, have shown a great desire to live like Americans. They want to be culturally like Americans, and so does the rest of the world to some degree, but otherwise America has absolutely no vital interest in Ukraine becoming and remaining part of Russia.
When Putin took over Crimea, the world barked a bit, but no one would risk a world war just to intervene in an issue between family members. The Russian invasion of Ukraine is tantamount to an uncle taking over the family compound because he wants to have a family discussion about the future.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is in a similar vein. The West can certainly use diplomacy to end the war, but no one should count on further engagement beyond current Western sanctions.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on the United States to declare a no-fly zone inside Ukraine, which is an act of war against Russia and would inevitably engage the US Air Force to enforce such a request. America has nothing to do with defending Ukraine other than providing certain non-lethal support. Ukraine has never been an ally, much less part of NATO.
Countries should make foreign policy decisions in the context of geopolitics and with a sensitive eye to a neighbour’s reaction, especially a neighbor as powerful as Russia.
Political decisions, whether made by individual actors or by a country, have consequences. Ukraine’s decision to join NATO is tantamount to having a cousin living with you who has decided to join a rival gang. The rest of the family wouldn’t approve of that, no matter if anyone thinks you’re an elegant person and should make decisions without family interference.