The Ukraine is another example how the U.S. has an incorrect understanding of relations with the former Soviet Union. Russia has been pushed back from countries like East Germany, Poland and the Baltic States. NATO has stationed troops directly on the Russian border. The Russians have made the same calculations that we did during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Ballistic missiles in Cuba, ballistic missiles in Poland, what’s the difference? Why should we not expect the Russians to act in a belligerent way?
The Crimea and the Donestek regions seized by the Russians are primarily Russian speaking ethnic regions. Much of eastern Ukraine speaks Russian as a first language. The Ukrainian parliament has outlawed Russian as an official language. We should not lie to the Kiev government about an Article 5 support for them. We lied to the people of Afghanistan, Iraq and Vietnam with disastrous consequences. You might call this supporting democracy but you would need a reality check. Ukrainians are cognizant about their history of domination by the Poles and Russians. They do want to maintain good relations with all their neighbors. They do not want to be forced to choose. There have been creative non-NATO diplomatic solutions that have resulted in successful democracies in the Russian sphere including Austria and Finland. Why can’t we look out for the best interest of the Ukrainians instead of ourselves?
Thomas Richard
Concord