Ukrianian soldiers riding armored vehicles in Eastern Ukraine
War is devastating. It is often needless and leads to thousands, if not millions of lives lost. Wiped out and destined to become part of a statistic in a history textbook. War is also a constant. It exists perpetually in the history of humans. No one who has ever lived has lived in a peaceful world. This is true today in the modern world. It is very easy to be blind to this reality in the West. The United States has been a participator in many wars. In the past 75 years, the American Government has been involved in nearly every conflict in some way. They have done this through funding, materials and equipment, training and military advisement, putting boots on the ground, or a combination of those. There are many success stories, but there are also many examples of unsuccessful operations when we go where we shouldn’t.
The most obvious example to me is the Vietnam War. The American people were lied to and dragged into a conflict that cost thousands of American lives. With the benefit of hindsight, we can confidently say that our involvement in Vietnam was counterproductive to American interests domestically and abroad. There are plenty of examples of American meddling negatively affecting many South American countries. While the CIA will deny most of it, they have left their fingerprints all over the internal conflicts of Latin America.
American soldiers resting on a wall during the Tet Offensive in the Vietnam War.
Now we find ourselves on the brink of World War III. Russia has invaded Ukraine. Putin has said he will only annex the ‘independent’ parts of Ukraine yet has made a strong push towards the capital, Kyiv. This indicates that he was not being truthful and I believe that he intends to push further than he originally stated. Ukrainians are justifiably terrified and many have already lost family members and friends. Ukrainian soldiers have probably exceeded all expectations at this point and have shown great resiliency in a time of adversity. At the same time, it is hard to imagine them being able to stand up against a much greater power.
Some in the left-wing media have decided that this war necessitates military intervention from the U.S. We need to think deeper about what involving ourselves in this conflict means. What interests are we protecting and what risks are we taking if we decide to join? What are the consequences of choosing to sit out?
If we join, we are risking a global conflict. Not one just between Russia and the United States. This one, we can only assume thanks to some of the incredibly powerful weaponry and tech now in our possession, will be the most deadly conflict in history. And it would not even be close. There is a reasonable fear that nuclear weapons would be used, and humanity would be sent back centuries. What about our interests? There are no American interests in the region (unless you are getting paid millions a year by Ukrainian oligarchs) that call for us to go to war with another top 3 military power on the planet.
What are the repercussions of staying out? The plight of the Ukrainian people and the end of freedom for the people who live there. While this is a tragedy, I am not sure sending in our own troops alleviates their pain. Their homeland would be destroyed and they would still become lost. There is also the way it affects America’s reputation as a defender of freedom across the globe. It is hard not to think of Chamberlain’s speech declaring “peace for our time” as Hitler began to conquer Europe when I see how our leaders are responding to this crisis. Putin and China understand that America’s leaders are weak and will take the opportunities to grow their power when they come.
Remember that not all America can display power through means other than violence. We can provide support and aid to hurting people without risking the lives of millions more. Most importantly, we cannot and should not be pursuing goals that do not protect American lives and interests. After all, that is what the military should do, and when it tries to be something it’s not, it will have drastic consequences.
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