As Congress debates an emergency supplemental bill to aid Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, some lawmakers and pundits insist that the U.S. can pick and choose between opposing China, Russia, Iran and North Korea. It can’t. The growing military, economic and diplomatic cooperation between these countries means that appeasing one of them helps the whole axis of autocracy.
The opponents of American assistance come in several flavors. There are those who believe the threat China poses necessitates that the U.S. focus on opposing Beijing, not Moscow. They fail to appreciate how a Russian victory would be a boon to autocratic regimes around the globe—most of all China. Others want to kill funding for Israel, despite growing Iranian-backed aggression in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen. Finally, some isolationists believe America can bury its head in the sand and focus mainly on domestic issues, such as immigration and border security, as though there’s no real trade-off. In each case, they misunderstand how wider American interests are tied into the security of each of these front-line states.
The evidence of closer relations between China, Russia, Iran and even North Korea is clear. Take China. While it is true that Beijing poses a serious danger to American interests, China also has tied itself tightly to Russia—particularly in its fight for Ukraine.
China also clearly sees a national interest in the success of Iran and North Korea. Beijing has stepped up aid to both regimes, including advanced technology that can be used for weapons as well as trade that circumvents U.S. and international sanctions.
It is time to be realistic about growing cooperation between U.S. adversaries. If Congress doesn’t pass a bill providing military and economic aid to Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan and other front-line states, it will endanger American interests in every theater. To paraphrase former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, the U.S. needs to deal with the world as it is, not the world that some might wish it to be.
@AgileEgalitarianRepublican3mos3MO
There is an emerging global quartet of evil - China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea - openly seeking to overturn the "world order" that has been led by the U.S. and the rest of the world's prosperous, freedom-loving western-style democracies.
This global quartet of evil scratches each other's backs; manufactures weapons and ammunition for each other (even impoverished, famished North Korea has impressive artillery production capacity); helps each other circumvent sanctions; and cheers each other on in their "partnerships". And as authoritarian regimes, they are… Read more
The neocons are pulling out all the stops to keep their Ukraine pet project disaster going.
@AgileEgalitarianRepublican3mos3MO
@HonorableVetoGreen3mos3MO
This is buffoonery. Wiping out an entire country for what exactly? Hubris? The closed mindedness is numbing. Crack a book and understand history from BOTH sides before writing such sheer idiocy. The US has no business in this fight. How about focusing on domestic issues instead?
@Int3grityHeronRepublican3mos3MO
What country is being wiped out? The both sides argument is pure Marxist. Russia has invaded a sovereign country that it claims does not have the right to exist, effectively stealing land from their neighbour; it is an illegal occupation that contravenes international law and even involved kidnapping children. Please tell me about the both sides argument.
The US signed a memorandum respecting Ukraine's territory. It promised to assist Ukraine. If the US again fails an ally, its deterrence will be severely damaged and it will be inviting China to think again about Tiawan and Russia… Read more
@HonorableVetoGreen3mos3MO
Let Europe fund this war if they want to. The USA will be $45 T in debt at the end of Biden’s term. So you advise borrowing from China to give to Ukraine? That is the only way we can ever provide any money to anyone—we don’t have it. It’s well documented that Ukraine doesn't have any “real” soldiers left. They are all dead thanks to thinking like yours. There’s only 40-60 YO conscripts that are being dragged to the front knowing they will most likely die. They aren’t motivated to fight. Ukraine's top general was just fired because… Read more
@DebonairYakDemocrat3mos3MO
Trump and extreme GOP isolationists are appeasers just like those who appeased Hitler in late 1930s.
They are unable to recognize what is evil and the biggest threat to America and global democracy.
@HumanRightsCodyRepublican3mos3MO
Biden is the gift that keeps on giving to America's enemies. The mullahs thank him for the billions in cash for their nukes. Xi thanks him for ceding energy production, trade, and American farmland to China. Putin thanks him for granting permission to invade Ukraine (remember "minor incursion"?), and lately for strangling LNG production. Oh, and they all adore Joey for keeping the border wide open.
@Patriot-#1776Constitution3mos3MO
The growing military, economic and diplomatic cooperation between these countries means that appeasing one of them helps the whole axis of autocracy.
"Appeasing" – what a biased word. This article is subtly trying to link U.S. peace advocates and non-interventionists to the British appeasers of the 1930s, an absurd false equivalence. They add to this by calling these four nations the "axis of autocracy." If we let Russia annex certain parts of Ukraine – *THAT WANT TO BE PART OF RUSSIA* – then, the story goes, we're allowing for the formation of a new… Read more
@ISIDEWITH3mos3MO
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