113 billion dollars. That is the price that America has paid to support Ukraine during the war that started in February of 2022. Some, if not most, Republicans running for President and countless in Congress have vehemently opposed this funding. They argue that money can go to better things that directly impact the needs of Americans at home. The critics are not entirely wrong. There are plenty of domestic issues in America which deserve our time and attention, from crime to addiction. But the critics are wrong when they say the war doesn’t impact Americans.
At the end of the day, if Americans are not safe, none of the other issues they face matter. The reality is that Russian aggression threatens our national security. Every day Vladimir Putin is allowed to bully his way through Europe, America, and our Allies become less safe. Just look at 1930s Europe. Adolph Hitler made his way through neighboring countries such as Austria and Czechoslovakia in an attempt, much like Putin, to restore Germany to its former size. Hitler’s aggression quickly plunged us into a worldwide conflict. By spending money now and sending arms and advisors to Ukraine to help them defeat Russia and stop them in their tracks, we can do our part to halt future aggression, sparing the world of a much larger conflict.
Another critical, overlooked part is the nature of our alliances in Europe and the future of our foreign policy. Ukraine is not the only European nation that is threatened by Russian aggression. As mentioned, all of Europe is threatened by Russian aggression, with our allies not knowing if Russia will stop at Ukraine or move further into former Soviet republics such as Poland and East Germany. By helping fund the Ukrainian defense, we send a strong message to our European allies that we care about them and their security. This, in turn, will create a favorable environment for future foreign relations, with trade agreements, for example.
Moreover, our allies are not the only ones watching, but our adversaries as well. China is watching our every move when it comes to Ukraine to inform how it will act in the coming months and years. Our decisions in Ukraine will likely decide how China will act on its ambitions in the region, with clear implications for Taiwan. We must stand with our Ukrainian allies in order to counter China, one of our greatest national security threats. The future of American foreign relations will be decided in the next few months when more funding is proposed before Congress.
This is not to say it is unreasonable to ask for things in return for funding. It isn’t unreasonable to say, for example, that Ukraine will abide by the rules of war or have explicit anti-corruption safeguards as a condition of this funding. Why help Ukraine? Because it is in our national security interest to weaken Russia and to stand up to China. And yes, it is also the right thing morally. We can help fight back against an absolute wrong, and at the end of the day, if America can’t take that stand, then what do we stand for?
Anthony Ilardi
Anthony Ilardi is a political science major at Clemson University. There he is an undergraduate senate clerk representing the undergraduate student body and a member of the mock trial team. He hopes to take his experiences in Student Government to the real world someday.
The views expressed in this article are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Lone Conservative staff.
@ailardi8
@ailardi8