I see the current anti-Ukraine sentiment on the Right as tragic (particularly because I generally agree with conservatives on many - not all - issues). The conflict is as binary as it gets: one nation (Russia) brutally invading another one (Ukraine). All the talk about NATO expansion, Russian concerns, etc. bely one simple fact: no one w…
I see the current anti-Ukraine sentiment on the Right as tragic (particularly because I generally agree with conservatives on many - not all - issues). The conflict is as binary as it gets: one nation (Russia) brutally invading another one (Ukraine). All the talk about NATO expansion, Russian concerns, etc. bely one simple fact: no one was threatening Russian territory, no Russian cities were bombed, no Russian children were killed. An autocratic ruler (Putin) decided to restore the old glory of the Russian empire. As simple as that. The fact that Ukraine is far from a model society, rife in corruption, etc., does not change these simple facts - it was not the aggressor, it was a victim.
Right's anti-Ukraine sentiment It is fundamentally about conflating interventions (like Vietnam, Iraq and late Afghanistan) where American troops are directly involved, and the locals are, at least somewhat, ambivalent about the fighting - certainly not able/willing to do it themselves and thus relying on American troops, vs foreign engagements where locals are more than happy to repulse the aggressor and all they require are material resources (money, weapons, etc.). Examples of the latter are American help to Israel (since 1960's) and Afghanistan in 1980's. the difference between Afghan regime in 2022, which was provided with all the weapons that US is now hesitating about sending to Ukraine (Abrams tanks, helicopters, fighters) and which fell in a few days simply because the locals had no interest in fighting for it, and Ukraine, which at the beginning of the conflict had 0 help (Germans promised 2000 helmets, other countries did less) and nevertheless repulsed the initial invasion could not be more stark.
The choice between having a resurgent Russia attack a NATO state like Poland or Lithuania (both were parts of the Russian empire so Putin's logic easily extends to them) and then having to decide whether to intervene or abandon NATO altogether, and providing more support for Ukraine and checking the Russian aggression now should be an easy one. The inability to see it by otherwise reasonable people is, at best, short-sighted.
I see the current anti-Ukraine sentiment on the Right as tragic (particularly because I generally agree with conservatives on many - not all - issues). The conflict is as binary as it gets: one nation (Russia) brutally invading another one (Ukraine). All the talk about NATO expansion, Russian concerns, etc. bely one simple fact: no one was threatening Russian territory, no Russian cities were bombed, no Russian children were killed. An autocratic ruler (Putin) decided to restore the old glory of the Russian empire. As simple as that. The fact that Ukraine is far from a model society, rife in corruption, etc., does not change these simple facts - it was not the aggressor, it was a victim.
Right's anti-Ukraine sentiment It is fundamentally about conflating interventions (like Vietnam, Iraq and late Afghanistan) where American troops are directly involved, and the locals are, at least somewhat, ambivalent about the fighting - certainly not able/willing to do it themselves and thus relying on American troops, vs foreign engagements where locals are more than happy to repulse the aggressor and all they require are material resources (money, weapons, etc.). Examples of the latter are American help to Israel (since 1960's) and Afghanistan in 1980's. the difference between Afghan regime in 2022, which was provided with all the weapons that US is now hesitating about sending to Ukraine (Abrams tanks, helicopters, fighters) and which fell in a few days simply because the locals had no interest in fighting for it, and Ukraine, which at the beginning of the conflict had 0 help (Germans promised 2000 helmets, other countries did less) and nevertheless repulsed the initial invasion could not be more stark.
The choice between having a resurgent Russia attack a NATO state like Poland or Lithuania (both were parts of the Russian empire so Putin's logic easily extends to them) and then having to decide whether to intervene or abandon NATO altogether, and providing more support for Ukraine and checking the Russian aggression now should be an easy one. The inability to see it by otherwise reasonable people is, at best, short-sighted.