Western policy towards Ukraine is one of those weird issues where the socialist left and the nationalist right are on side, while the mainstream left and the mainstream right are on the other. It’s the ‘extremes’ against the middle, in other words.
Socialists are sceptical of Western policy toward Ukraine for several reasons: a lingering affection for Russia, due to its socialist past; a reflexive opposition to Western foreign policy, perhaps borne of national self-flagellation; and a cynicism about the role of the U.S. and NATO in all of this.
The nationalist right shares the socialist left’s cynicism about the U.S. and NATO. It also believes that Western nations should put the interests of their own citizens first, rather than funnelling large sums of money into a foreign country.
This is an oversimplification, of course. There are centrists – people like Robert Wright, John Mearsheimer and Anatol Lieven – who’ve expressed scepticism about the West’s Ukraine policy. But most of the politicians who’ve done so are from one of the two camps identified above.
Until recently, almost all the U.S. politicians who’d expressed scepticism about the West’s Ukraine policy were right-wing nationalists (Tulsi Gabbard is an obvious exception). When Congress voted on a $40 billion aid package back in May, all the dissenters were ‘America First’ Republicans – 57 in the House and 11 in the Senate.
But they’re no longer the only ones with reservations. Yesterday, 30 left-wing Democrats wrote to Biden, urging him to “make vigorous diplomatic efforts in support of a negotiated settlement”. Their number included all six members of The Squad.
The missive does not call for an end to U.S. support for Ukraine. Rather, it asks the administration to combine military and economic support with a “proactive diplomatic push”. As to what that might entail, the authors mention “incentives to end hostilities, including some form of sanctions relief,” as well as “a new European security arrangement acceptable to all parties”.
In addition, they urge Biden to “engage in direct talks with Russia” – something various commentators have said is necessary to end the fighting. Earlier this year, Viktor Orbán argued “the war can only be brought to an end with Russo-American negotiations”.
The authors’ proposals will not go far enough for some.
They concede that “it is not America’s place to pressure Ukraine’s government”. Yet this “makes no sense either practically or morally”, according to historian Anatol Lieven. “In numerous other conflicts,” he writes, “Western governments have felt able to propose and even in some cases to enforce peace settlements of their own devising”.
Others will dismiss the proposals as an outline for ‘appeasement’.
The real question, though, is whether they’ll have an impact on U.S. policy. And if I had to guess, I’d say it’s unlikely.
Stop Press: After only one day, the letter has been withdrawn. In a statement, the Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus said it was “released by staff without vetting” – though critics claim this is just an excuse.
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Actually it’s rather simple, support for this war is the same rational for lockdown. Essentially a person needs to be a psychopath bereft of moral compass to support either. You either believe in human decency or you don’t.
Completely different issues.
Covid was a virus not initially understood but quickly apparent it was like a flu.
Ukraine is well iunderstood and if Russia gets its way other nations will follow.
Hard to think how they are similar.
No no, the diamond Princess cruise ship was obvious to anyone with A-level stats. I know it’s hard to accept but most humans are pyschopath like in nature as the Milgram experiment shows. I know we can pretend we are nice animals but reality is we aren’t.
It’s perfectly clear any war such as this should not have been allowed to go on for so long. The people of Ukraine are dying as their beautiful ancient cities are flattened and soon will be dying from the cold and starvation of the eastern winter. And the impact is spreading across Western Europe as fuel and wheat become increasingly limited in the winter months.
Whenever a war kicks off, normally the West is desperate to get peace negotiations going. Not this time: the war has been encouraged for months. The UN Security Council, of which Russia is a member, seems to have disappeared off the face of the Earth.
There needs to be an immediate ceasefire and both sides need to be sat at a table preferably later today, tomorrow at worst. We need an end to this.
‘It’s not Americas place to pressure Ukraine’s Government.’ LOL!
If it isn’t the place of the country arming you to the teeth with trillions of dollars worth of weapons, without which you would have had to negotiate from the outset….whose place is it?
Actually it works for me because it clearly shows both the hubris and the sheer idiotic hypocrisy of the USA….”we will arm you, encourage you to fight our proxy-war, but we won’t help with negotiations or finding a peaceful solution….”
Yep, that’s exactly the message they are giving out…and it will just wake up more people….well done….!
The proposition is we allow Russia to grab any neighbouring (only neighbouring) country it wants and we encourage the target to go along peacefully. Or are former Warsaw pact NATO members exempt. What aboiut Georgia, the ‘stans, Turkey.
Where to stop.
It seems to me those who want to give in to a tyrrant (surely no one is in any doubt about that), wants to follow the Chamberlain method. It doesn’t end well.
Putin has, since 2014 and the CIA coup in Ukraine, made his considerations and intentions absolutely clear. Any characterisations of Putin as Hitler are miles off the mark. Not even close. The West through NATO and the EU has continued to poke the bear. The USA as a spent force after Afghanistan. I don’t personally condone what Putin has done, but to characterise him as some kind of genocidal madman is an invention, a fantasy.
..possibly the difference is that many of us think the USA is predominantly the tyrant..and there is overwhelming historical proof of that. I have seen nothing that makes me think Russia intends to invade any NATO country…while just this week the US has landed in Haiti, much to the anger of the Haitians…and is currently threatening Russia, China and Iran! …..and they are still occupying Syria and stealing their food and oil….
Talking about peace is not appeasement……its a far better option than poring petrol on the flames…. as the West is currently doing.
I’m now of the opinion that people who want war, and call for war to continue, should get out of their comfy armchairs and take themselves off to a Ukraine…put their money where their mouth is..and stop calling for other people’s husbands and brothers and children to sacrifice their lives. It’s time to put up or shut up.
LOL! Less than 24 hours later they have withdrawn the letter !!
In response to intense bipartisan anger over the letter they issued yesterday on Ukraine, House Progressives issue a new statement vowing full and complete loyalty to Biden’s war policies and full support to funding war in Ukraine without limits:
??
They’ve most probably been ‘got at’. Mustn’t upset the warmongers narrative. There’s a lot of money to be made…
Yes…Raytheon and Lockheed Martin need the cash!!
what an utter farce…anyone who pretends the USA isn’t in the driving seat in relation to the war in Ukraine has been so propagandised I can only imagine their brains are soup!
There was a video circulating of somebody haranguing AOC about this topic at one of her talks; it looks like this may have left an impression on her.
Best headline I have seen about the whole fiasco…
”Worthless House Progressives retract mild peace advocacy under pressure from warmongers”
LOL!