A Supportive Stand for Ukraine from an Isolationist Perspective

J.D. Vance, a senator representing Ohio, has grown weary of hearing the phrase Neville Chamberlain and Munich. As part of the Republicans' inclination towards isolationism (depending on the conflict), Senator Vance has recently taken to the Senate floor to reprimand a few of his peers who are seeking military assistance for Ukraine and who lack the same knowledge as he does. "What has happened to our learning system that the only comparison we can draw from in this chamber is that of World War Two?" he inquired with a slight hint of irritation.

 Vance was of the opinion that the first world war was an example of failure to de-escalate conflict when the chance was present. He accepted that Russia's leader is not a good man, yet he asked why we would expect Putin to march to Berlin when he has not been able to defeat Ukraine which is just next to Russia.

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 The Ukrainians have observed that Mr Putin has not been able to expand his power much, due in part to the assistance of the United States. The Russian leader has been quite open about his intentions. Dmitry Medvedev, a former Russian president and now Deputy Chairman of the Security Council, cautioned in early November that Polish sovereignty would be "dead" if it persisted in opposing the Kremlin. Mr Medvedev thinks that the past has been harsh to the Poles who overstepped their boundaries.

 Paul Rahe, a professor of history at Hillsdale College in Michigan, points to the first world war as an example of the risks of Russia's imperialist ambitions, believing that Mr Vance is unaware of his history. According to Mr Rahe, Ukraine is indeed located west of Russia. For an analogy to America's support of Ukraine, he instead looks to Sparta's strategizing to weaken their rival, Athens, that began in 415bc.

 In the past, Sparta had formed an alliance with Athens in order to reject the Persians. But, due to Athens' arrogance, they decided to attack Sicily, which was located 800 miles away by sea. As explained in Mr. Rahe's book, "Sparta's Sicilian Proxy War", the Spartans saw this as a chance to harm the Athenians without endangering their own soldiers. They then secretly sent in Gylippus, a general whose leadership managed to alter the Sicilian battle and had a great influence on the whole Greek world.

 Mr Rahe's perspective on Sparta was that it was a self-contained nation that did not seek to take control of other lands, but instead implemented a grand scheme of forming connections and using other countries against each other. Current American isolationists are not as prudent or reliable, wanting to challenge China but wanting to give Israel military assistance in its fight with Hamas and Hizbullah, sponsored by Iran. However, they do not seem to think it is important to help America's European allies by restraining Iran's ally, Russia. Mr Rahe believes the Ukrainian struggle is already providing the rewards of a typical successful proxy battle, weakening a competitor with minimal cost to America. He expressed, "It appears to be a no-brainer to me."

 In contrast to attacking President Joe Biden's economically sensible and high-yield policy towards Russia, Donald Trump, the preeminent Republican isolationist, could certainly take credit for it. As leader of the United States, he addressed the United Nations General Assembly in 2017, emphasizing the need to resist any threats to sovereignty between the Ukraine and the South China Sea. He authorized American arms aid to Ukraine, something President Barack Obama had refused to do due to the potential to provoke Russia; he cautioned that Germany was too reliant on Russian energy; he also advocated for other NATO nations to meet their 2% GDP defence spending commitment. (Poland is projected to double this figure, while France has recently approved its greatest military investment in 50 years.)

 Although there are valid criticisms regarding the President's actions in some areas (like suspending aid to Ukraine while encouraging them to collect information about Biden), his tendency to exaggerate accomplishments still stands. The new isolationists ignore or disregard Europe's worries and Russia's ambitions.

Error of Time

 The neo-isolationists, proto-isolationists, and sorta-isolationists have not yet taken over the Republican Party. Mitch McConnell, the Senate GOP leader, emphasized the importance of winning the battle in Ukraine when he spoke to the Wall Street Journal in mid-November. House Speaker Mike Johnson suggested that more support for Ukraine should be combined with increased border protection. President Biden is likely to be pressed by progressives to stand up to the Republican border requirements, however, he should be privately pleased with it as it could help assuage one of his largest political challenges.

 For the past three decades, US foreign policy has been under the delusion that the end of the cold war meant the world was somehow transcending history. However, it has saddened Washington to discover that the internet and capitalism did not promote liberal values in Russia or China, nor did it guarantee democracy in Afghanistan or the Arab world, even with American support. It now appears that certain countries still possess a vengeful desire. This was true during the Second World War, the First, and even in the Peloponnesian War. Only a fool would choose to continue to learn these difficult lessons over and over again.