Since 1945, the United States-led world order has proven remarkably successful at preventing wars between great powers.
A critical element of this success has been the strong alliances the U.S. has established with other democratic nations. America is treaty partners with Japan, South Korea, Australia and others in the Pacific region. But probably the most important formal alliance that has spared the world from far-spreading land wars is the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The U.S. and 29 other nations have formally agreed to NATO’s Article V, wherein each nation pledges to defend other members if they are attacked. It has only been invoked once, when Canada and our European allies came to our defense after the 9/11 attacks.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked invasion of neighboring Ukraine has upended this world order and has brought a land war to the borders of our NATO allies. Most U.S. politicians are properly expressing outrage over the invasion and pledging to support Ukraine. But in doing so, Republicans are hoping Americans forget how the GOP has, so frequently and so recently, defended and excused Putin as well as,disregarded the protection of Ukraine.
Republicans hope Americans forget that Donald Trump was impeached the first time for trying to blackmail Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelensky by withholding military aid unless Zelensky manufactured propaganda about then-candidate Joe Biden. They hope Americans forget how, after American intelligence concluded Putin ordered his government to influence the 2016 presidential election, Trump stood alongside Putin to say publicly he believed Putin’s denials over his own country’s experts. They hope Americans forget how, at the same time, Trump and Republicans in the House and Senate peddled Russian disinformation by repeating the baseless conspiracy theory that Ukraine, not Russia, had interfered with the election.
Donald Trump was NATO’s loudest critic. He disparaged our allies as a drain on our treasury and criticized leaders in France and Germany. Pointedly, Trump refused to publicly defend Article V. Trump’s former national security advisor, John Bolton, said just this week that he had to convince Trump not to withdraw the U.S. from NATO in 2018.
But Republican fawning over Putin is not just a thing of the past. Just hours before Russia invaded Ukraine, Trump said of Putin, “I mean he’s taking over a country for $2 worth of sanctions. I’d say that’s pretty smart.” One day earlier, Trump praised Putin’s aggression against Ukraine as “genius,” and said of Putin, “Here’s a guy who’s very savvy.” Trump’s former Secretary of State (and presidential aspirant) Mike Pompeo said this of Putin last month, even as Russian troops amassed on Ukraine’s border: “I consider him an elegantly sophisticated counterpart, and one who is not reckless, but has always done the math.”
Here’s some math for Putin and his Republican admirers: As of March 6, 2022, the Ukraine’s State Emergency Service reports more than 2,000 civilians have died since the invasion and, in just 10 days, there are more than 1.5 million refugees, the fastest migration ever since WWII.
Thankfully for America and the democratic nations of the world, America now has a President who values both freedom and democracy as well as the international alliances that promote and protect them. Based on impressively accurate American intelligence, since at least last November, President Biden and his administration have been shuttling among America’s allies, convincing sometimes-skeptical partners that Putin had decided to invade Ukraine. Biden’s diplomatic efforts secured our allies’ commitments to punishing sanctions against Russia, should it invade. Biden publicly called out Putin for his plans to attack Ukraine, even declassifying intelligence to prove Putin planned a “false flag” operation, thus depriving the dictator of using that propaganda as a pretext for his aggression.
The unprecedented sanctions Biden has managed to achieve from the NATO members and others are stunning in both their scope of cooperation and the reach of their effect. These are not preventive sanctions, like those against Iran; these are akin to wartime measures aimed at strangling the Russian economy as it executes its invasion of a peaceful neighbor.
Instead of praising or excusing him, as did his predecessor, President Biden has rallied the world against Vladimir Putin. In his State of the Union address, he cast the war declared on Ukraine as an existential battle over the future of democracy. Biden vowed the United States will defend “every inch” of NATO territory. He further asserted the “united West” will render “Russia weaker and the rest of the world safer.”
As much as Republicans try to deny it, Biden’s courage and successful leadership is an exemplar of how the U.S. stands with its allies. So now Republicans and their media mouthpieces want to align their party with Ukraine? Maybe they should start by acknowledging the truth. Maybe they should stop ignoring the GOP’s record of apologizing for Trump’s nauseating embrace of Putin. Maybe they should admit that the leader of their party is a critic of the very alliance that has kept the world safe for more than half a century. Maybe they should own the fact that, during his administration’s Ukraine scandal, the Republican party shielded Trump from accountability for his siding with a dictator over Ukraine and his own country.
Perhaps we Americans should adopt our own version of NATO’s Article V, for our democracy. If one political party fawns over dictators abroad and dismisses institutions put in place to protect democratic freedoms elsewhere, then that party must also be seen as a threat to freedom and democracy within our borders.
_______________________________________________________________________
The La Mesa Foothills Democratic Club meets the first Wednesday of every month. Please join us for our in-person for Club meeting on Wednesday, April 6, 7 p.m., at the La Mesa Community Center, 4975 Memorial Drive in La Mesa.
– Sean Quintal writes on behalf of the La Mesa Foothills Democratic Club.
