The Importance of Ukraine

Of late, I have used the word na?ve more than ever before. I do not mean to insult my readers, but the naivety of so many social media posts and reposts that are either myopic in view or partial truths without strategic context are numberless. And they continue day after day.

Yesterday, I posted about climate change. Today, I sound the siren call of common sense for support to Ukraine. In my professional life I am privileged to work with some of the world’s brightest minds in their fields. I am currently working with Dr. Dennis Whyte of MIT, one of the world's leading nuclear scientists working on fusion energy. Yesterday, I spent 90-minutes with Dr. Elisabeth Braw of AEI discussing climate change and its effect on world trade, population migration, and security. Over the past few months, I’ve worked with Dr. Peter Rough, Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute and National Security and Defense – Foreign Policy expert.

I will base many of my points here on my conversations with Peter, as well as a piece he published in the New York Post. (https://nypost.com/2023/12/07/opinion/pass-ukraine-aid-congress-its-a-bargain-for-american-security/)

First, I want to tackle the social media repost I see most often. It is the large monitary figure of Ukrainian support that people seem to misunderstand most. It is my belief (based on the posts I read) that many Americans think we are just giving Ukraine money. That is simply not true. So, how is the money spent?

The overwhelming majority of funds Congress has approved for Ukraine have gone directly to American manufacturers, totaling some $70 billion across 38 states. That’s American dollars going to American companies providing jobs for American people.

“As obsolete US weapons are shipped to Ukraine, they’re replaced by modern systems made in the USA. Our allies are buying American, too. As European nations have given weapons and ammunition to Ukraine it has depleted their stocks, so they too are buying American for replacement," Peter wrote.

Why is Ukraine so important? “Through its occupation of Crimea, Russia is raising doubts about the future of Ukraine’s major city of Odesa as a free and open port.

“If Ukraine is defeated, it will turn into a landlocked economic basket case wholly dependent on Western aid for survival.?

“If it wins, the West will gain a large, resource-rich ally with access to the Black Sea and an impressive reservoir of human talent,” Peter wrote.

Defending US interests is worth the long-term investment. As a side note, yesterday I mentioned China purchasing fertile lands all over the planet. They have attempted to buy thousands of acres of Ukrainian soil. The Chinese understand the breadbasket that Ukraine is.

Next, let’s briefly discuss the importance of NATO support as it applies to Russian aggression in the region. “Ukraine’s collapse would hasten the day when a US president may have to decide between defending the Baltic states or presiding over the disintegration of NATO,” writes Dr. Rough.

This goes directly to Donald Trump's idiotic statement of encouragement to Russian president Vladimir Putin. European NATO members hold two-thirds of the total foreign direct-investment stock in the United States. I can’t say it loud enough. This isolation theory is bullshit. That ship has sailed. We are a global society with a global economy and it can’t be rolled back. We need friends and allies and anyone who tells you otherwise is wrong.

“Yes, $60 billion is a lot of money, but it pales in comparison to the costs of letting Ukraine fail,” says Dr. Rough.

The Ukraine is of strategic importance to the United States, as are our relationships with NATO allies. Yes, we should continue to push them to pay their fair share, but we must lead from the front. It’s that important to our national security and to the US economy.

The enemy, including many right and left-wing extremists, are using social media to influence the American people. Do not fall prey to the sound bites that sound so commonsensical, yet only hint on a sliver of truth. This is why I am so depressed about our presidential options. We have never before needed so badly a president with foreign policy experience. The 2024 US presidential election will go down in history as the most depressing election America has experienced. We are better than this.