geopolitics

The Importance of the National Interest: A Partial Refutation

Allow me to begin this article by stating that I have the utmost respect for James (@GravitysRa1nbow) on Twitter for his thoughts on liberalism, foreign affairs, and defense policy. I have in fact been using his reading list since the beginning of 2023, and am currently going through Samuel Huntington’s The Soldier and the State. It is an rather odd book, with certain historical inaccuracies as a product of being written in the 1950s. But it contains insights which are still relevant to the modern day and most of the books James has recommended have been very interesting and useful.

But on his Substack, James penned an essay a few weeks ago arguing against the idea that Americans should argue in favor of helping the Ukrainians win their war primarily in terms of the national interest. James argues that such an argument is the equivalent of a day trader and “is beneath who we are as Americans.” Furthermore, such arguments fail to inspire Americans to help the Ukrainians and causes mistrust among our allies, who fear that we will cut bait from them if they are useless.

It is true that helping the Ukrainians defend themselves against Russian tyranny and aggression is just, and moral arguments have their place in the political sphere. It is also true that Americans will be more willing to support a just crusade than mere squabbling among imperialists. While I have not finished Huntington’s book, he observes that the American populace seems to lurch from a crusading mood to a sort of pacifism, and then back again.

But there is a difference between what is politically viable, and what is true. These things are not contradictory nor at odds with one another. But while selling the American public on the moral grounds may be the most politically viable option, America is involved in the Ukraine for its own benefit. It is important not to forget that nor think that it is something to be sheepishly and shamefully admitted to.

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The American Geopolitical Case for Ukraine, Part I: The Benefits for the United States

The Russo-Ukrainian War has dropped off the front pages of the newspapers, and the Ukrainian flags which were ever-present in my Northern Virginian neighborhood are no longer quite as present.

This is change is expected due to the passage of time, and to the fact that there has not been that much major change on the front over the past few weeks to months in part due to winter. Russia continues to commit atrocities against civilians. The West could provide tanks to Ukraine soon. This would represent a further increase in Western support.

But right when the West looks to be ramping up support, the United States may face real political trouble in supporting Ukraine. The Washington Post reported that for the first time, a poll showed that more Republicans oppose rather than support further Ukrainian funding. And we have a slim Republican majority in the House of Representatives.

In conservative circles, there are two broad arguments which are used to justify this change. There is the alt-right approach which not only opposes supporting Ukraine, but supports Russia or tries to argue that both sides are equally bad. Russia is the great savior of traditional values and Christianity (when it is not hailed as the great savior of Communists by lunatic leftists), and we should let Russia win.

These people are not worth discussing. But there is another, more generally isolationist argument. These people agree that Russia is worse than the Ukrainians. But that does not mean that the US has to be the one to support Ukraine. Why can Europe not do it? Why does America, facing so much difficulty, have to use its monies to support a country so far away? Yes, the Russians are committing atrocities in Ukraine, but why is that our problem?

This argument has more merit to it. It is true that there are other instances of chaos and murder occuring across the globe that the US has little interest in. Close by Haiti, which has devolved into anarchic gang violence, is an example. But Ukraine is special. Even if one chooses to ignore the Russian atrocities or not give a nickel about human rights or democracy, there are real geopolitical reasons to support Ukraine to the hilt.

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