Issues Under Fire: U.S. Russian Proxy War Brews in Ukraine
Rather than use its influence to nudge the corrupt and economically collapsed Ukraine into a ceasefire to reduce a needlessly mounting death toll, the United States is preparing to prolong the killing by providing weapons to Kiev. Following the same ill advised strategy in Syria, the United States appear to be setting the stage for another sustained bloodbath.
Like Syria, the United States won't dare put any "boots on the ground", but will provide just enough financial and military assistance for Ukraine to put up a good fight against itself. If the United States is unwilling to go all in and give Kiev the billions in lethal weapons, training and air support, the very predictably outcome will be a death toll rising into the tens of thousands.
In what can only be described as a foreign policy disaster in the making, the Obama administration's slow march toward another proxy war with the Russians demands an explanation. Firstly, why did the U.S. have to take the lead in confronting Russia over the Ukraine conflict? What U.S. national interest is being threatened by Pro-Russian rebels is another good question. Why should the fate of Ukraine matter more to the United States than it does to Europe? Without clear cut answers to these questions, non warmongers are scratching their heads.
Since arming Ukraine won't be cheap, so far Europe is rightly focusing on its economy. With Greece giving Spain, Portugal and other Southern Europe economic deadbeats a lead to follow, the continent can ill afford to exacerbate a crisis with Russia. Dragged kicking and screaming in silence, the Europeans went along with U.S. sanctions, but it'll be interesting to see how much the E.U. and NATO members will be willing to contribute to an outright war effort.
While the Russian economy may have been weaken, Vladimir Putin still enjoys domestic support most E.U. leaders would kill for. Not only does the E.U. have to placate disgruntled citizens pushing back against austerity measures, but its doubtful the people of Europe have any appetite for a real military engagement. Any hopes of starving Putin out of Crimea or loosening his grip on Ukraine by force is a dream the Obama administration should awaken from immediately.
Bottom line: If the Syrian conflict is any indication of how U.S. military support can have a positive impact on a full blown civil war, then the people of Ukraine have little more than years of death and destruction to look forward to. Podcast Below!
Comments
Post a Comment