Demonized Russia And Putin An Opportunity For Friendship Between Democrats And Republicans – OpEd
In the fourth month since the start of the war in Ukraine, there is no clear prospect for ending, and efforts by Germany and France to mediate have failed, leaving the West with no choice but to continue supporting Ukraine by sending more and more advanced weapons until the defeat of Russia. Meanwhile, thousands of kilometers away from Ukraine, a power struggle has erupted in the US Congress between the Republican and Democratic parties, which are taking advantage of the Ukrainian tragedy for their own party interests.
A group of Democrats believe in absolute financial and military support for Ukraine and see it as strengthening US national security. Some bipartisan politicians believe in limited financial support, not military, and believe that their country can no longer play the role of firefighter or savior of the legendary world for Europe. At the same time, the group believes that the United States should maintain its global prestige and symbolic role, and occasionally warn the other side against crossing red lines.
A group of Democrats believe in absolute financial and military support for Ukraine and see it as strengthening US national security. On the other hand, some politicians from both parties, are for limited financial, not military, support. In addition, they reckon that their country can no longer play the role of a firefighter or legendary savior of the world for Europe. At the same time, the group believes that the United States should maintain its global prestige and symbolic role, and occasionally warn the other side against crossing red lines.
On the other side are the isolationists, who, although traceable among Democrats, are mostly in the Trump-led Republican Party. These individuals believe that the USA has no global mission and its operations are only limited to the western hemisphere. In their opinion, the world should learn to live on its own and its problems without the help of the United States.
Each group of congressmen has influenced the American political sphere in some way, and there is no doubt that each of them will have a different impact on the United States and global security. So far, with the approval of the Sixth US $ 40 billion aid package to Ukraine, the United States has been committed to providing this budget in the form of advanced defensive and gradually offensive weapons, as well as economic and humanitarian assistance to the people of war-torn Ukraine.
The bipartisan support for such a plan is also noteworthy, as the timeline for sending military equipment indicates the US strategy for a long-term war. Despite strong disagreements and rivalries between the Democratic and Republican parties over domestic and foreign developments, the US House of Representatives voted 368 to 57 in favor of the military aid package to Ukraine, while the Senate voted 86 to 11.
Such a figure is significant because there are only less than six months left until the midterm congressional elections, and all members of the US House of Representatives and one-third of the senators need to re-run in the election and the popular vote, and therefore try to make public opinion extremely sensitive. To draw the Americans to the war in Ukraine.
In other words, the demonized representation of Russia and Putin does not give the Democrats and Republicans the opportunity to continue their differences on the eve of the election and either take a neutral stance against the Russian invasion or take the side of the Russian president. In such a situation, it is very likely that either of the two major parties, which would not confront Putin, will have to take a big risk on the day of the congressional election.
Moderate groups also face a difficult situation. This spectrum, which includes people from both sides of the congressional court, prefers to walk the streets of Kyiv in peaceful gestures and in support of human rights, standing for a few minutes in front of Zelinsky’s epic speeches and cheering for him. But when it comes to real and concrete aid, they step back and focus on the US security situation. These people, amongst whom we can refer to progressive democratic groups headed by individuals such as Ocasio-Cortez, prefer to align themselves with the mainstream. Of course, they are well aware that the current wind is blowing in support of Ukraine and heavy financial and military aid to that country.
The next group is the MAGA Republicans or supporters of the famous slogan “make America Great Again.” This group is known among Republicans as Trump supporters or Trumpists; those who did not even condemn the attack on Congress and, in unison with their beloved President Trump, questioned the validity of the election. They blatantly praise Putin and Russia under his leadership, call Zelensky a murderer and, at best, take a neutral position in the face of the Ukraine war. They are the same 57 representatives and 11 senators who voted against the $ 40 billion aid bill.
The interesting thing, however, is that this group explicitly insists on its positions and believes that this money should only be spent on reforming inside the United States, and its wasting is a betrayal to the next generation of the United States. This group of senators are the new isolationists of America who, unlike other politicians, do not believe in the existence of even a nominal mission for their country and insist that the field of international relations is deeply realistic and that every government should only consider its own interests. Perhaps if the $ 214 million to help Ukraine withstand against the pro-Russian separatists in Donbas, which was approved after much deliberation and delay by this group and even Trump himself had arrived in Ukraine at the right time, the recent war could have been prevented.
Politicians do not care about the shortage of infant formula and its rising price for parents, and their priority is to help Ukraine deal with Russia by proxy. In addition, it is of negligible importance for them that hoy many American citizens are killed every day by firearms because the profit made by selling weaponry is more important for them than the lives of the American citizens.
What is emerging in the US political scene today in the Ukraine war is the prioritization of partisan interests over national ones. With the Ukraine crisis, both major US parties have increased their influence in various areas of international relations. In other words, what is completely useless is the national interest of the United States and the problems that most Americans face on a daily basis in housing, health insurance, and education.
