By George F. Will, The Washington Post, September 27, 2024 - Many people who dismiss warnings about a third world war were, before February 2022, confident that state-on-state war in Europe had become unthinkable. Even though Russia at that point was in the eighth year of its war to extinguish a contiguous European nation.
This war began with Russia’s 2014 seizure of Crimea. Today’s phase began in 2022 with a now-forgotten rationale: “Russia, which began the war proclaiming that its goal was the liberation of the innocent Ukrainians from the allegedly drug-addled, fascist government of [Volodymyr] Zelensky, now talks about ordinary Ukrainians as traitors.”
... In 1938, Adolf Hitler called the dismembering of Czechoslovakia “the last territorial demand I have to make in Europe.” Poland was next. ...
Germany has become symptomatic of Western nations, including the United States, allowing welfare spending to crowd out defense needs. ... The West, including Germany, has given Ukraine substantial succor. But absent many more weapons, with fewer restraints upon their use, the West might be purchasing protracted defeat, thereby vindicating Putin’s estimation of the West’s inability to persevere. (Read it all)
Rod's Comment: I agree. We should immediately remove the restrictions that prohibit Ukraine from striking Russian assets and forces in Russia. We must stand by Ukraine and continue giving them the aid they need. For the reasons George Will makes in the above article it is important that Putin not win this war.
If Trump should win reelection, there is every reason to believe that Trump will cut off aid to Ukraine and greenlight a Putin victory. Trump even refuses to say he prefers for Ukraine to win the war.
My initial decision to support Harris was due to Trumps coup attempt and effort to prevent the peaceful transfer of power. That alone disqualifies him from ever being trusted with the reins of power again. However, even if Trump was not a threat to democracy, I would have to vote for Harris. I never thought I would see a time in which I would judge a Democrat to be better on foreign policy than a Republican, but Trump is not a normal Republican. Normally, I would assume that it is the Republican candidate who is most committed to strong alliances and to continuing America's leadership role in the world; not this time. When it comes to who is more likely to defend freedom in the world, exercise American leadership, and avoid World War III, I believe it is Kamala Harris.
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This issue demonstrates that, yes, George Will is still a conservative, contra what many MAGA types would argue. Will understands that will and strength matter. And I might add, a strategy for victory, which the Biden/Harris Administration lacks. Preventing Ukraine from striking deeper within Russia effectively turns this into a protracted war. What that historically means for the U.S. is that the American people tire of it, back out, and leave the attacked country to be swallowed up. While I applaud the military hardware support heretofore, we are faced again with Democratic (and certainly Republican; the difference between past and present is that Republicans were the last to fold; no longer, under the MAGA "right") lack of resolve and sticktoitiveness.
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