By Askold S Lozynskyj
“Chutzpah”. There is no better word to describe and encapsulate the behavior, the nearsightedness, arrogance and shameless rhetoric of the United States in providing assistance to the Ukrainian war effort. While the aid has stopped, the “chutzpah” persists. The current “redlines” coming out of the White House are simply more than the Ukrainians can take. Societal dismay to the point of anger has become pervasive in Ukraine. President Zelensky has been more diplomatic than his people.
There have been so many manifestations of American arrogance and ignorance during the more than two years of the Russian aggression. The ignorance is a several generations’ old and almost inveterate affliction dating back to the 1940s known as appeasement. President Joe Biden is a nice guy, but his refrain “this is not who we are” is tiresome and not convincing. The rude and abrasive Marjorie Taylor Greene, the hillbilly J. D. Vance, and the hypocritical Lindsey Graham are all symptomatic representatives of their constituents. Donald J. Trump is more aberrational on a national level since Americans are generally good people. Judeo-Christian values still predominate in America, although these so called values often serve as excuses for hypocrisy. Another component for American malaise and selfishness is illiteracy.
In the contemporary situation, America could argue that it had the right to display arrogance and purported superior military acumen and experience because America was Ukraine’s most important and benevolent benefactor and the leader of the Free World. As a result America limited geographically and strategically the use by Ukraine of American weaponry. America often declined delivery of some specific and advanced weapons instructing Ukraine that Ukraine did not need those weapons. In this instance America was proven wrong more often than not. American military leadership often made strategic recommendations as to how Ukraine should conduct the war. Now, that is arrogance.
All of this was inappropriate but justifiable to the Ukrainians since the weapons were American and, especially, since most times the Ukrainians paid little or no attention to American military strategy knowing that they (the Ukrainians) certainly knew better. Nevertheless,the Ukrainians did respect one American redline – they did not use American weapons beyond Ukrainian territory.
More recently Ukraine has increased its strategic bombing of Russian energy refineries and weapon manufacturing and storage facilities using Ukrainian-made weaponry. In view of a tremendous dearth of ammunition, Ukraine has developed greatly its own defense industry.
Nonetheless, America, specifically the White House and the State Department, has criticized these recent bombings arguing that this will implode the scope of the war and, of more immediate concern, have the effect of increasing global energy prices. Ukraine has been silent, instead of telling America to mind its own business.
America has fallen into governmental chaos mainly caused by Republicans in Congress, but also due to the inability of the current Democratic administration to navigate through this chaos. Setting redlines for Ukraine without appreciable assistance under these circumstances is “chutzpah.”
Ukraine has manifested an exemplary ability to work with what it has, as well as great creativity and wherewithal. Ukraine manufactures its own long-range air and sea drones reaching St. Petersburg, Moscow and well into the Black Sea so that the western part of the sea has been open for grain transport. Europe has been of much assistance. The U.K. has helped the Ukrainians develop weaponry in Ukraine. Some European leaders have suggested European boots on Ukrainian ground even if only for training or mine decommissioning purposes.
Psychotic former Russian president Dmitri Medvedev has stated that the Russians would kill those NATO auxiliaries first. That would certainly bring NATO into the war. America would then have to get involved and so American soldiers would be dying on the Ukrainian steppes.
Ironically, this may prove to be the tragic cure for American governmental chaos, isolationism and “chutzpah.”
April 5, 2024