Why We’re So Involved In The War In Ukraine

 How much support should we, America, give to Ukraine? This is kind of a tricky question, as it depends on both American interests and American values, and I can only see two factors which could play into American interests in the war in Ukraine:

1. Strategic positioning in the case of a possible war against Russia. If war ever breaks out between NATO and Russia, Ukraine is certain to be in the crossfire. Seeing how Ukraine was neutral post-Soviet collapse, both sides must have seen Ukraine as an important piece in their war games, which alludes to the inherent desire for both sides to vie for some sort of control over Ukrainian territory, in a way that benefits them in possible war.

2. Ukraine is rich in resources when compared to other European countries. It's certainly in American interests to at least have these resources in allied control

The American values being upheld are being shouted from Washington loud and clear. “The people of Ukraine deserve to be free, not imposed upon by some dictator. Since we believe in the freedom and rights of each Human, if the Ukrainians are willing to fight for their freedoms, we will help them do so.” Though this viewpoint resonates with me, I think it’s being smuggled alongside Neocon thinking, which revolves around Pax Americana and the “American 21st Century”. Neocons see Ukraine as the first line of defense against Russia, yet Russia sees it as its last line of defense, for if Russia were to completely lose Ukraine, they would subsequently lose any war against NATO antebellum, guaranteed.

So we have to do the calculations. We believe that every American citizen, including every non-citizen within American borders, absolutely must be treated in ways preserving their individual sovereignty, their right to their way of life, and the presumption of innocence until proven guilty. We believe these to be fundamental human rights, and we guarantee these rights to every human within our border, and every American citizen. This raises a divide. Should we fight for other countries to have these values as well, considering that sometimes they come to us for aid, or should we just be the shining example, promoting our values and limiting our allies to those who share them. The former calls for a higher possibility of war followed by  the death of Americans in the pursuit to export our values abroad, securing them within foreign borders, while the latter calls for leading by example and showing the world what’s possible when you adopt American values. I’m more in line with the latter, and here’s why.

It seems like many countries around the world like American values, but dislike the imperialism that comes along with being a world power. It seems to me like countries would rather have America live by our values and be an example of why they work, instead of imposing them on others because we believe our way of life to be superior. Such impositions and the assumptions which underlie it have been a common trait among world-class nations, founded on great ideas or not. We must not let the temptations of valiant belief in our way of life lead us down the road to inevitable conflict with rising powers looking to make a footing in the world. After all, if nations are as sovereign on the world stage as the U.S. Citizens are inside our borders, there is no need for violence, for we don’t wish to impose our way of life on others. Instead, we can agree to disagree and limit relations with each other, all while continuing to live together within the confines we find ourselves in.

Now, what does this have to do with American involvement in the war in Ukraine? I see the arming of Ukrainians to help them defend themselves as a true testament to us upholding American values unapologetically, as long as we don’t send Americans in there to die. The question for me then switches from support vs no support, to “How much support?” The provision of military hardware and armaments seems to be in line, but the addition of intel, field trainers, and access to our reconnaissance shows a deeper level of support than I think many American citizens signed up for. I would sum up the general position of the American populace as so “We support Ukraine’s right to sovereignty against Russian aggression, and we’re willing to give them the means to better protect themselves and their right to exist independent from occupation, but we don’t want to bleed ourselves dry for it, for the Russians didn’t attack us.” I would say that we want to support Ukraine against forced occupation, but we don’t want to confuse that with Russia threatening us (Which, if I recall correctly, only occurred when they warned of consequences if we interfere with the war. I don’t think they outright said anything along the lines of “They (The West) must be defeated by military force”). Notwithstanding their huge nuclear arsenal, Russia is no longer a conventional military threat since the collapse of the USSR.