Borodyanka, Ukraine. Photo by Ales Ustinov
The Rationale For War
There’s a purported rationale for the enormous amount of money the U.S. is spending in Ukraine; namely, that it’s a bargain:
Here are five reasons why this rationale is stupid and wrong.
1) It’s a Lot of Money
The ~$100 billion we’re spending on the Ukraine is 164% of Russia’s annual defense budget and nearly 9x the cost of a border wall that would actually protect America.*
*(Going by NPR’s $11 billion estimate.)
2) Not An Offensive Threat To Us
Russia’s military may be formidable in defense, but Russia’s conventional military poses no offensive threat to us, as evinced by their struggle to project force next door in the Ukraine.
3) Russia Isn’t Our Enemy
Russia is not our enemy, despite our years-long efforts to make them one. Unlike the communist Soviet Union, Russia doesn’t seek to spread any ideology. Vladimir Putin was the first foreign leader to offer the U.S. assistance on 9/11, and we welcomed Russia as a non-Middle Eastern source of energy in the aughts.
4) We’re Not Destroying The Russian Military
We aren’t destroying “nearly half of Russia’s conventional military capability” because they have their own arms industry and can build more of any equipment that’s destroyed. Their UralVagonZavod company, for example, is the world’s leading tank manufacturer.
5) Weaking Russia Doesn’t Help Us
Finally, if we did manage to severely weaken Russia, how would that help us? How would causing regime change or civil war in the country with the world’s largest nuclear arsenal make us safer?
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