I Keep hearing members of the media and even some Democrats refer to Ukraine as a “small country.” I keep hearing them frame this situation as being about the US protecting a small, vulnerable country.
But that’s terrible framing on so many levels. I do not pretend to be an expert in Ukraine, Russia, or European history, but I invite the media and Democrats to keep the following before them as they work on framing the Ukraine story:
- Ukraine: Look at a fricking map. Spend 30 minutes and read a Wikipedia Article.
- Ukraine is not some tiny little “inconsequential” country (in terms of US geopolitical interests)
- Ukraine is a nation covering almost a quarter of a million square miles.
- Ukraine is the second largest nation in landmass in Europe. Larger in landmass than than Spain or Germany.
- Ukraine stands between Russia and the heart of Europe
- Ukraine contains some of the most valuable, fertile and strategically-placed real estate on the planet.
- The beating heart of the Soviet Union was the union of Russia and Ukraine
- Putin has been upfront about reassembling the parts of the old Russian Empire and/or USSR
- Keeping Ukraine away from Russia and part or the US/NATO sphere of interest is one of the most essential parts of US foreign policy since the fall of the USSR
- Trump telling the president of Ukraine to “get together with Putin” and work through their differences is essentially greenlighting Putin’s ultimate plan — the reconstruction of the Russian Empire/ USSR
- Trump withdrawing military aid to Ukraine in order to extort a political favor is, in effect, offering to reverse the result of the Cold War for a cheap political stunt
This is not about the US protecting a “small, vulnerable country” from Russian bullying.
This is about massively consequential US geopolitical interests. This is about denying Putin his dream of reversing the result of the Cold War, rebuilding the USSR, and becoming the dominant power in Europe.