I suppose two years is a long time to expect people (as in many Americans) to maintain an engaged interest in the war in Ukraine. . . in what’s become a battle of attrition and test of wills.
It seems, based on current reporting, that many in our country have lost interest in this foreign policy matter and no longer support providing financial aid (in the form of weapons and ammunition) to this European nation in its struggle to preserve its independence.
And it seems many of my fellow countrymen and women harbor a different view than I do of who the ‘good’ guys and ‘bad’ guys are in this struggle.
I don’t claim to be an expert, but having a buffer of western-style democracies bordering Russia—Ukraine, Poland, the Baltic countries, Finland, and the Bulkan region—and keeping it ‘at bay’, would be in our national interest. As for the money being spent for armaments, I understand most of it is being paid to American manufacturers and the total, thus far, comprises a small percentage of our defense budget.
It would seem more imperative we continue this aid, given the increasingly cozy relationship between Russia and China. If the calculation is that, by abandoning Ukraine, we can enlist Russia on our side against China, beware of what happened to the man who thought he could ride the tiger.
I think we’re better off allied to Europe and with the NATO Alliance, along with similar agreements we have in Asia.
I wrote the following comment two years ago on this date. Russia had not yet launched its invasion. This came four days later.
Conventional wisdom was that the Russian ‘Bear’ would have little trouble overrunning its militarily weaker and smaller neighbor. As it turned out, the Russian imperial juggernaut wasn’t what it was cracked up to be, the Ukrainian tenacity was greater than anticipated, and the Western military support helped offset the advantage of Russia’s larger population and manufacturing resources.
However, without the continued support of the USA and other European nations, the battle of attrition will likely move eventually in Russia’s favor. You don’t need to be an expert to figure this out.
And then what?
If we abandon Ukraine, who will respect our future promises of support and alliance?
Ands how will other nations judge us if we shirk from this Test of Resolve?
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LET'S STAND WITH UKRAINE
Written on Feb. 20, 2022
This Sunday, a rally was held by members of the Ukrainian American community residing in Metro Detroit “to press their case that Russia is threatening democracy and Ukrainian sovereignty” and it is in the American interest to oppose that danger."
The gathering took place at the Ukrainian Cultural Center in Warren and featured prayer services, meetings with elected officials, including members of Congress, and no doubt a lot of worried talk.
That Eastern European nation, as many know from reading and hearing the recent news, shares a border with Russia. It has been independent since the breakup of the Soviet Union, but is now threatened by the presence of thousands of Russian troops seemingly poised to invade it.
Detroit’s Ukrainian American community is believed to be one of the largest and most active in the U.S., according to a report in the Detroit Free Press. I count some of them as friends.
Organizers, in making the case that their fellow Americans should support their cause, say that protecting Ukraine will help protect freedom and democracy in the region and across the globe. This region includes Poland and the Baltic states.
President Joe Biden has been making the case that America does have an interest and is warning of “severe economic consequences” to Russia, both by the U.S. and its European allies, if a military strike is launched. How those economic sanctions ultimately affect Americans, either in higher commodity prices or an additional shortage of goods, will test American resolve. It would be nice to think that such impact would not lessen the support Americans give to this threatened nation, but patience hasn’t been our virtue of late.
Whether a financial penalty would even deter Russian President Vladimir Putin is one question. Another is how crippling would sanctions be to Russia, given that the Russian strongman may have already calculated this response. His recent meeting with the Chinese leader, and their pledge of mutual support, suggests he has a fallback position.
None of that should deter Americans in showing, in any manner possible, support for the Ukrainian cause. For those of us in Michigan, this would include the Ukrainian American community in Metro Detroit.
I’m reminded of President John Kennedy, when visiting West Berlin in 1963 during the height of the Cold War—with the city surrounded by hostile Communist forces—uttering his famous line “I am a Berliner” in a show of solidarity.
And of Ronald Reagan standing in front of the Berlin Wall in 1987 and saying “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.”
And Winston Churchill’s vow in 1940, during the darkest hours of World War II after the fall of France, with Britain standing alone, telling his fellow countrymen that “I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat,” adding that “We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind.”
For the nation of Ukraine, for its citizens who wish to continue their democracy and independence, an ordeal of such magnitude may, alas, lay ahead.
For those of us in Michigan and the rest of the U.S., “Let's Stand with Ukraine.”
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Steve Horton is mid-Michigan journalist and editor-publisher of the ‘Fowlerville News & Views’—a weekly newspaper.
How will we be judged? Badly to say the least. It will look like we are weak and subject to the whims of a dictator in progress who wants to call the shots even though he is not elected. How disgraceful if we let this happen.
And here Ukraine sits with the US abandoning yet another 2 1/2 weeks later. They did get their 2 week break and still no aid!