The Ukraine crisis illustrates a depressing truth: The closer America gets to war, the more likely Americans are to be called traitors for opposing it. In recent days, some of the same pundits who called critics of the Iraq war apologists for Saddam Hussein twenty years ago have begun calling critics of America’s policy toward Russia apologists for Vladimir Putin. There’s an irony here. Many of these hawks accuse progressives of using accusations of racism or sexism to shut down legitimate debate. But they’re deploying accusations of disloyalty in the same way. Nationalism creates its own “cancel culture.” And when America is close to war, it’s the most dangerous kind of cancel culture there is.
The entire conversation is insidious. From the comfort of our homes an ocean away, we sit at a table and, as if we were in the last two centuries, redrawing maps of the world for our own benefit. Imagine the anger if Mexico and Canada were having a conference on the future borders of the United States. We are largely in this mess because of the Kissingers and others who advised George H.W. Bush. It was Bush who told me, after Yeltsin's election, that he still considered Gorbachev to be the duly elected president of the Soviet Union. It was Bush who denied former Soviet Republics, and many of their new leaders (or old leaders in new roles) the tools they requested to build resilient democracies. If the world wants to resolve this inflamed conflict, we first must get the history right. We must get the Putin motivation right, and we have to listen to people who understand what is going on, not faux experts who have and will continue to create instability in the world, as men like Kissinger have done for over half a century. They are not experts, they are the men and women defending defenseless positions of their own making because they were wrongly put in positions of power and intentionally or not damaged or world. The Bush administration missed many opportunities as the USSR fell. The vassals and their disciples continue to beat that drum, with the addition of tragic actors, allowed to pretend they are journalists (like Tucker Carlson) who salivate over the prospect of a dictator ruling the USA. US foreign policy is and has been a horror show for so many years that it is hard to start making corrections, but following any of what the two sides are pushing for now will potentially further destabilize the United States and give Putin what he really wants, carte blanche to run much of the world as he sees fit. He knows Biden is in a hole and the extremists waiting in the wings are looking for their chance to take all they learned over the Trump years and January 6th, and turn it into a win. Putin certainly dislikes NATO on his doorstep, the Tzars and Soviets always wanted a buffer zone, but he now has an opportunity to propel himself to a new level of global leadership and we in the west cannot get out of our own way. From the euphoria of Ukraine's independence back in 1991 and the hopes and dreams of a democratic world, to one controlled by strongmen and tyrants, in large part to the misguided actions of American "experts", is heartbreaking.
Thanks for saying what needs to be said. As someone who leans toward progressive domestic policy, I find it disheartening to put it mildly that the conversation over Ukraine and Russia, especially among Democrats, has been effectively divided into two siloes. You are either for self-determination in Ukraine, that nascent democracy whose people are just striving to be free, or in league with the evil dictator Putin. That the situation could be much more complex than that simple binary, or that we, the US, may have had a hand in creating this impasse, is simply not up for discussion. Democrats, like Republicans, need a foreign villain, in this case Putin, who, according most major media outlets, is practically the spawn of Satan himself. It does no good to point out just how asinine this all is, as we march toward war over a country that is as corrupt and dysfunctional as Russia to 'save' it from its neighbor.
Ok, so being a dove is not being a traitor. I agree. It might be clearer to say "X is playing into or giving unwitting support to . . .". Or, it might even be better--in almost all instances of disagreement--to not assume bad faith, but to address on the merits or at least engage in dialogue to clarify different positions and, maybe, change a mind or two. That said, do we stand by as Ukraine is over-run and then subjected to the finely honed oppression machine that is modern Russia or do we give the Ukrainians the tools to fight back? The doves either aren't answering (Mr. Beinart, for example) or they are sadly consigning Ukrainians to their fate. We don't have to go to war with Russia to be on the right side of this fight.
I sent the following Message to all 100 US Senators since Friday. Only 1 Senator with instant name recognition replied, proffering the standard anti-Russia/Putin Propaganda.
Good Day Senator,
As a World Citizen Child of God at 77, and a Canadian, I sent the same Message to all 100 Senators November 5,8,15 &16, not as Representatives of Local Parochial interests, but as National and International Leaders.
It took that long finding an address and ZIP code in all 50 States since the Senate email system has no provision to hear opinions other than from Americans. Stating I'm Canadian in the 1st sentence & using my actual name and email address in the Senate forms, a Senate majority sends me their Newsletters without addressing anything in the November Message concerned with US Domestic Developments as if whoever opens the email didn't ever read it.
This Message also going to all 100 Senators concerns the Dangerous Developments on the International Stage. Senators have almost as much influence collectively as the Executive Branch. I can only hope and pray Saner heads prevail, although from what I see on CNN, MSNBC & FOX, that seems unlikely to reduce International tensions, but increase them.
Putin doesn't want War. No sane person would want MUTUALLY ASSURED DESTRUCTION unless there is a subconscious desire for SUICIDE BY NUKES.
All Putin wants is NATO to stop advancing to Russia's border just like Americans didn't want Soviet missiles in Cuba. In 1962, the US was ready to start Armageddon/WWIII over Russian missiles in Cuba reacting to the US putting their missiles aimed at Russia in new NATO Member Turkey.
I think there’s room to be both highly sympathetic to Ukraine and feel it’s right to stand up for their own rights as a nation while also acknowledging that American Russian policy stank from 1991 to now. I completely agree that NATO expansion eastward was a mistake and a sign of our own hubris during the (now obviously brief) period of dominance. We knew, or should have known, that NATO expansion would overextend America and that Russia cares far more about security in Eastern Europe than we do, and that Western European relations with Russia would be quite different than our own. America doesn’t need Russia economically, Europe does, and this is a simple question of geography m
That being said we did expand NATO, we are now forced to care about their security and we can analyze the situation for ourselves. Ukraine has been invaded by Russia, twice, and while I don’t think Russia will invade Ukraine again (they don’t need to) that doesn’t suddenly make Russia a righteous actor. Russian demands are unreasonable given America’s commitments in the regions and this crisis is infuriatingly pointless. America isn’t going to stop Russia from meddling in Ukraine, Ukraine isn’t going to join NATO, so we’re bickering and sabre rattling over what?
America can’t give up our commitments to our Eastern European partners, Russia knows this, nor should we. America shouldn’t end our open door policy either. Instead diplomacy should focus on what’s possible. Russia knows America isn’t interested in fighting a war with Russia, we have other concerns elsewhere that are far more pressing than the Donbas. Russia senses weakness, and an opportunity to claim victim hood. But let’s also be real here: Russia violently occupied Eastern Europe for five decades in many peoples lifetimes: there’s a reason why Eastern Europe joined NATO, and it isn’t because Russia was in the right.
Which to me makes the argument that American policy was wrong a strange one. It’s not a moral failing that the US wants to protect it’s allies from a foreign power. Perhaps we shouldn’t be there but that says more about us than it does about Putin.
You may be right in a historical sense, but I just don't see the specifics. Most of the criticism I've seen has been of pro-Putin neofascists like Carlson, not "all objectors". And from the actual hawks, I haven't seen much pro-war jingoism, either.
In fact, out of all the foreign policy crises I've ever lived through, this is probably the only one where I HAVEN'T actually seen the doves and hawks at each other's throats all that much. The main difference is that the media is raising far more of a stink than they ever have. I feel like a lot of it is coming from the post-Trump media hangover, where they're desperate for something to make headlines every day like Trump did.
The entire conversation is insidious. From the comfort of our homes an ocean away, we sit at a table and, as if we were in the last two centuries, redrawing maps of the world for our own benefit. Imagine the anger if Mexico and Canada were having a conference on the future borders of the United States. We are largely in this mess because of the Kissingers and others who advised George H.W. Bush. It was Bush who told me, after Yeltsin's election, that he still considered Gorbachev to be the duly elected president of the Soviet Union. It was Bush who denied former Soviet Republics, and many of their new leaders (or old leaders in new roles) the tools they requested to build resilient democracies. If the world wants to resolve this inflamed conflict, we first must get the history right. We must get the Putin motivation right, and we have to listen to people who understand what is going on, not faux experts who have and will continue to create instability in the world, as men like Kissinger have done for over half a century. They are not experts, they are the men and women defending defenseless positions of their own making because they were wrongly put in positions of power and intentionally or not damaged or world. The Bush administration missed many opportunities as the USSR fell. The vassals and their disciples continue to beat that drum, with the addition of tragic actors, allowed to pretend they are journalists (like Tucker Carlson) who salivate over the prospect of a dictator ruling the USA. US foreign policy is and has been a horror show for so many years that it is hard to start making corrections, but following any of what the two sides are pushing for now will potentially further destabilize the United States and give Putin what he really wants, carte blanche to run much of the world as he sees fit. He knows Biden is in a hole and the extremists waiting in the wings are looking for their chance to take all they learned over the Trump years and January 6th, and turn it into a win. Putin certainly dislikes NATO on his doorstep, the Tzars and Soviets always wanted a buffer zone, but he now has an opportunity to propel himself to a new level of global leadership and we in the west cannot get out of our own way. From the euphoria of Ukraine's independence back in 1991 and the hopes and dreams of a democratic world, to one controlled by strongmen and tyrants, in large part to the misguided actions of American "experts", is heartbreaking.
Thanks for saying what needs to be said. As someone who leans toward progressive domestic policy, I find it disheartening to put it mildly that the conversation over Ukraine and Russia, especially among Democrats, has been effectively divided into two siloes. You are either for self-determination in Ukraine, that nascent democracy whose people are just striving to be free, or in league with the evil dictator Putin. That the situation could be much more complex than that simple binary, or that we, the US, may have had a hand in creating this impasse, is simply not up for discussion. Democrats, like Republicans, need a foreign villain, in this case Putin, who, according most major media outlets, is practically the spawn of Satan himself. It does no good to point out just how asinine this all is, as we march toward war over a country that is as corrupt and dysfunctional as Russia to 'save' it from its neighbor.
Ok, so being a dove is not being a traitor. I agree. It might be clearer to say "X is playing into or giving unwitting support to . . .". Or, it might even be better--in almost all instances of disagreement--to not assume bad faith, but to address on the merits or at least engage in dialogue to clarify different positions and, maybe, change a mind or two. That said, do we stand by as Ukraine is over-run and then subjected to the finely honed oppression machine that is modern Russia or do we give the Ukrainians the tools to fight back? The doves either aren't answering (Mr. Beinart, for example) or they are sadly consigning Ukrainians to their fate. We don't have to go to war with Russia to be on the right side of this fight.
As for how we got here, it all started in 1917.
I sent the following Message to all 100 US Senators since Friday. Only 1 Senator with instant name recognition replied, proffering the standard anti-Russia/Putin Propaganda.
Good Day Senator,
As a World Citizen Child of God at 77, and a Canadian, I sent the same Message to all 100 Senators November 5,8,15 &16, not as Representatives of Local Parochial interests, but as National and International Leaders.
It took that long finding an address and ZIP code in all 50 States since the Senate email system has no provision to hear opinions other than from Americans. Stating I'm Canadian in the 1st sentence & using my actual name and email address in the Senate forms, a Senate majority sends me their Newsletters without addressing anything in the November Message concerned with US Domestic Developments as if whoever opens the email didn't ever read it.
This Message also going to all 100 Senators concerns the Dangerous Developments on the International Stage. Senators have almost as much influence collectively as the Executive Branch. I can only hope and pray Saner heads prevail, although from what I see on CNN, MSNBC & FOX, that seems unlikely to reduce International tensions, but increase them.
Putin doesn't want War. No sane person would want MUTUALLY ASSURED DESTRUCTION unless there is a subconscious desire for SUICIDE BY NUKES.
All Putin wants is NATO to stop advancing to Russia's border just like Americans didn't want Soviet missiles in Cuba. In 1962, the US was ready to start Armageddon/WWIII over Russian missiles in Cuba reacting to the US putting their missiles aimed at Russia in new NATO Member Turkey.
Americans aren't exceptional.
I think there’s room to be both highly sympathetic to Ukraine and feel it’s right to stand up for their own rights as a nation while also acknowledging that American Russian policy stank from 1991 to now. I completely agree that NATO expansion eastward was a mistake and a sign of our own hubris during the (now obviously brief) period of dominance. We knew, or should have known, that NATO expansion would overextend America and that Russia cares far more about security in Eastern Europe than we do, and that Western European relations with Russia would be quite different than our own. America doesn’t need Russia economically, Europe does, and this is a simple question of geography m
That being said we did expand NATO, we are now forced to care about their security and we can analyze the situation for ourselves. Ukraine has been invaded by Russia, twice, and while I don’t think Russia will invade Ukraine again (they don’t need to) that doesn’t suddenly make Russia a righteous actor. Russian demands are unreasonable given America’s commitments in the regions and this crisis is infuriatingly pointless. America isn’t going to stop Russia from meddling in Ukraine, Ukraine isn’t going to join NATO, so we’re bickering and sabre rattling over what?
America can’t give up our commitments to our Eastern European partners, Russia knows this, nor should we. America shouldn’t end our open door policy either. Instead diplomacy should focus on what’s possible. Russia knows America isn’t interested in fighting a war with Russia, we have other concerns elsewhere that are far more pressing than the Donbas. Russia senses weakness, and an opportunity to claim victim hood. But let’s also be real here: Russia violently occupied Eastern Europe for five decades in many peoples lifetimes: there’s a reason why Eastern Europe joined NATO, and it isn’t because Russia was in the right.
Which to me makes the argument that American policy was wrong a strange one. It’s not a moral failing that the US wants to protect it’s allies from a foreign power. Perhaps we shouldn’t be there but that says more about us than it does about Putin.
Great summary of the situation
You may be right in a historical sense, but I just don't see the specifics. Most of the criticism I've seen has been of pro-Putin neofascists like Carlson, not "all objectors". And from the actual hawks, I haven't seen much pro-war jingoism, either.
In fact, out of all the foreign policy crises I've ever lived through, this is probably the only one where I HAVEN'T actually seen the doves and hawks at each other's throats all that much. The main difference is that the media is raising far more of a stink than they ever have. I feel like a lot of it is coming from the post-Trump media hangover, where they're desperate for something to make headlines every day like Trump did.