The Americans agree with the US President’s policy towards Russia.
(Photo: Reuters)
A few weeks ago, many Americans didn’t know exactly where Ukraine was located. After Russia’s war of aggression under President Vladimir Putin, almost 80 percent of US citizens now express friendly sympathy for the Eastern European country in a survey by the opinion research institute YouGov.
Ukraine is thus on par with France and Germany. This has implications for political America – and especially for Joe Biden.
Approval ratings for the US President have risen noticeably since Putin’s invasion. Still not enough to be able to hope for a victory for his Democrats in the midterm elections in November, but apparently enough to break the negative trend among voters.
Most Americans agree with Biden’s smart policy on Russia: tough sanctions in close coordination with allies in Europe and Asia. Deliveries of arms to the Ukrainians, but no direct military confrontation with the Russians. Not only has the West risen again, but Biden can also breathe new life into his deadlocked presidency.
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The US President even received a standing ovation from opposition Republicans for his Russia policy during his State of the Union address. On Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is scheduled to address both houses of Congress via video.
For the GOP, however, the war in Ukraine is a dilemma, as it has further exacerbated the division within the party. Not only because ex-President Donald Trump initially described the invasion of his male friend Putin as “brilliant”. Trump is supported primarily by right-wing populists Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson, which, also from the Kremlin’s point of view, is an ideal loudspeaker for Putin’s propaganda.
Liz Cheney, daughter of the former US Vice President and one of Trump’s toughest critics, speaks openly of the “Putin wing” their Republican Party. Even the Republican opposition leader in the House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy, is not above exploiting Putin’s war for domestic purposes and Biden to blame for the sharp rise in gasoline prices admit. Whether that will resonate with US voters or whether Republicans will have to pay at the ballot box for their close ties to the warmongering Kremlin remains to be seen at the Midterms in November.
The debate about Western complicity, sparked by John Mearsheimer of the University of Chicago, shows how much the Ukraine war is preoccupying intellectual America. In his 2015 speech on the “Causes and Consequences of the Ukraine Crisis”, the political scientist asked to what extent the West provoked Putin through NATO’s expansion into Eastern Europe.
Mearsheimer is one of the so-called “realists” of his profession, who assume that great powers try to secure their power through preventive measures. After all, the video clip of his speech has been viewed by more than 21 million people on YouTube. Whatever one may think of the scientist’s arguments, the important thing is that explanations can never be justifications for war.
More: US warns China not to help Russia economically or militarily.