By Stephen F. Cohen
November 16, 2019 "Information
Clearing House" -
For centuries and still
today, Russia and large parts of Ukraine have had
much in common—a long territorial border; a shared
history; ethnic, linguistic, and other cultural
affinities; intimate personal relations; substantial
economic trade; and more. Even after the years of
escalating conflict between Kiev and Moscow since
2014, many Russians and Ukrainians still think of
themselves in familial ways. The United States has
almost none of these commonalities with Ukraine.
Which is also to say that Ukraine is not “a vital US
national interest,” as most leaders of both parties,
Republican and Democrat alike, and much of the US
media now declare. On the other hand, Ukraine is a
vital Russian interest by any geopolitical or simply
human reckoning.
Why, then, is Washington so deeply involved in
Ukraine? (The proposed nearly $400 million in US
military aid to Kiev would mean, of course, even
more intrusive involvement.) And why is Ukraine so
deeply involved in Washington, in a different way,
that it has become a pretext for attempts to impeach
President Donald Trump?
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The Lies And
Non-Stop Propaganda?
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The short but essential answer is Washington’s
decision, taken by President Bill Clinton in the
1990s, to expand NATO eastward from Germany and
eventually to Ukraine itself. Ever since, both
Democrats and Republicans have insisted that Ukraine
is a “vital US national interest.” Those of us who
opposed that folly warned it would lead to dangerous
conflicts with Moscow, conceivably even war. Imagine
Washington’s reaction, we pointed out, if Russian
military bases began to appear on Canada’s or
Mexico’s borders with America. We were not wrong: An
estimated 13,000 souls have already died in the
Ukrainian-Russian war in the Donbass and some 2
million people have been displaced.
Things are likely to get worse. Democrats are
sharply criticizing Trump for withholding
large-scale military aid to Kiev (even though
President Obama, despite strong pressure, wisely did
so). Ukraine’s recently elected President Volodymyr
Zelensky, having been drawn into the Washington
scandal, is no longer as free to negotiate peace
with Russian leader Vladimir Putin as he hoped and
promised during his campaign. And candidates for the
2020 US Democratic presidential nomination, with the
exception of Tulsi Gabbard, are likely to compete
for the role of Kiev’s biggest military booster.
Here, as generally in US-Russian relations,
Democrats are becoming a war party.
Meanwhile, as I have reported before, Russian
leader Vladimir Putin continues to be accused by
hard-liners in Moscow of passivity in the face of
“American aggression in Ukraine.” Is it irony or
tragedy that the often-maligned Trump and Putin may
stand between us and something much worse—between a
fragile Cold War peace and the war parties in their
respective countries?
Listen to the podcast
here.
Stephen F. CohenStephen F. Cohen is a professor
emeritus of Russian studies and politics at New York
University and Princeton University. A
Nation contributing editor, his most recent
book, War With Russia? From Putin & Ukraine
to Trump & Russiagate, is available in
paperback and in an ebook edition. His weekly
conversations with the host of
The John Batchelor Show, now in
their sixth year,
are available at www.thenation.com.
This article was originally published by "The
Nation" - -
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