To the editor:
Our country is currently facing the challenge of two international conflicts, involving Ukraine and Israel. We need to think clearly about what our national security interests are and how best to protect them.
Public opinion and our government are largely united in support of military and other aid for Israel. However, consensus on providing assistance to Ukraine is lacking. Republican support for continuing aid has been weakening. On Sept. 30, in adopting a stopgap spending bill, Republicans in the House stripped out billions in military and humanitarian aid for Ukraine requested by the Biden Administration.
Opposition to aid centers on the argument that we need to put “America First,” that supporting Ukraine siphons money away from our own needs. Does this argument really serve our national security interests? What are the arguments about the importance to our security of supporting Ukraine in its struggle to defend itself against Russian aggression? What is aid costing us and what are we getting?
Here is a perspective on the cost to the U.S. As of July 31, 2023, American aid since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine totaled slightly over $75 billion. That sounds like a lot, but it is LESS THAN one-half of one percent of our gross domestic product. Fourteen European countries have each given a larger percentage of their GDP. Ukrainians, not American soldiers, are doing the fighting.
What are we getting? First, a moral case can be made. A peaceful budding democracy was attacked by an aggressive, authoritarian Russia. Russia has inflicted huge suffering on the civilian population, amounting in many cases to war crimes. The United States upholds its commitment to democracy and humanitarian values by supporting Ukraine in its fight.
There is also a cold, practical case for continuing aid to Ukraine. Russia is an important country, a major adversary which does not share our democratic values and our support for a peaceful international order. Under Vladimir Putin, Russia has sought to project an image as a global power with a formidable military. Early in the war Ukraine, on its own, put a big dent in that image. Our ongoing support is further weakening Russia as its military flounders. It also strengthens the image and the reality of the US as THE essential world power supporting a peaceful, rules-based international system. America was the vital leader in the creation of a post-WWII peaceful order, first with the Marshall Plan for European economic recovery and the with NATO as a powerful defense against aggression by the Soviet Union. Its actions effectively kept the peace in Europe. We need to make it clear that we are determined to continue this role. It will serve not only to deter Russian aggression but will also constitute a clear warning to other would-be aggressors around the world.
In short, continuing aid to Ukraine is central to our own national security interests.
Claire Gilmore
Tupper Lake
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Sources
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https://www.cfr.org/article/how-much-aid-has-us-sent-ukraine?-here-are-six-charts
