By Mark Figley
Guest Columnist
As the war in Ukraine enters its second year, there is no apparent end in sight. For its part, Ukraine defines victory as a return to the borders that existed prior to the Russian takeover of Crimea in 2014. Meanwhile, Russia has no intention of relinquishing control of 40,000 square miles of southeastern Ukraine, nor of Crimea, which guarantees it quick naval access to the Eastern Mediterranean, Balkans and the Middle East. Ethnic Russians also comprise a significant portion of the overall population in eastern and southern Ukraine.
Russia’s Putin further raised the stakes with his recent announcement that he plans to place tactical nuclear weapons in neighboring Belarus after Britain agreed to supply armor-piercing rounds to Ukraine. Previous incendiary comments by Ukraine’s national security chief that the war ends with Ukrainian tanks in Moscow’s Red Square didn’t help either.
Yet none of these developments have seemingly had any effect on Joe Biden, who has stated that the U.S. will support Ukraine with “whatever it takes” for “as long as it takes.” While the U.S. has provided nearly $30 billion in military assistance to Kiev since the beginning of the war, and with Abrams tanks and F-16 fighter jets to strike Russia itself not far off, how long will it be before young American men and women are thrown into the fight?
Fast forward. Though brave Ukrainian troops are praised as heroes by Western media, 0.6 of them are being lost daily for every Russian killed. This comes amidst the steady, relentless bombing of Ukraine by Putin, whose nation outnumbers his foe by 100 million people. Can you say attrition?
At some point, the question must be asked whether it all makes sense for an America that faces serious economic challenges, fewer allies and larger looming military threats from China, Iran and North Korea.
For instance, during the first Gulf War in 1990 and the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the ratio of American debt to gross domestic product was 40 and 50%, respectively. Today, the ratio stands at a staggering 129%. Add to this the uncertainties surrounding recent bank collapses, as well as the housing and financial sectors in an ever more uncertain world.
Meanwhile, Russia marches on. Despite suffering considerable losses of men and materials in the war, it continues to support the effort through the sale of cheap oil to China and India. NATO members Turkey and Saudi Arabia have increasingly cuddled up to Putin, and many South American countries have even refused to impose sanctions against Russia.
As for the Chinese, they continue to saber-rattle regarding Taiwan. And why not? Despite the argument that the U.S. can’t risk stepping away from Ukraine for fear of looking weak in the face of Chinese aggression, Biden already proved the point by cowardly retreating from Afghanistan. And with America mired down in Ukraine, China watches us deplete weapons and munitions that won’t be available to assist Taiwan another half a world away.
If anything, while Biden continues to go to great lengths not to antagonize China’s Xi, he has called for regime change in Russia and seems determined to escalate tensions with Putin through increased support of Ukraine — even at the risk of World War III.
Then there is Hunter Biden’s sordid business history in Ukraine, one of the most corrupt countries on earth, which includes not just the Burisma energy company. What are the odds that any of the massive U.S. aid flowing into the war effort has mysteriously made its way back to the Biden family? Stay tuned.
No one can reasonably deny that as America’s military industrial complex is benefiting mightily from a brutal war, the people of Ukraine are suffering immeasurably from it. Could it be that Biden and the world’s elites are extending their suffering and using the conflict to promote the “Great Reset?” After all, since COVID didn’t get the job done, another world crisis might just do the trick.
Mark Figley is a political activist and guest columnist from Elida. His column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Lima News editorial board or AIM Media, owner of The Lima News.
