by Joseph Alonso
The war on Ukraine, instigated by the Russian Federation, has been a center of global politics for about a year now. Over this time, countries around the world have aided Ukraine in their counter-attack and, up to this now, have been relatively successful.
Of all the donors, The United States has been the most generous. In total, according to the Council on Foreign Relations, the US has sent over $50 billion in assistance. However, this might change.
Just recently, an article by Business Insider explains that 11 Republican members of the House of Representatives are calling for an immediate halt to Ukraine's aid.
While this piece of legislation will most likely not pass, it lays the framework for a dangerous future. When a bill like this is introduced, it gains traction and ultimately begins to gain support. This occurs not just in Congress, but across the United States.
While the answer to this issue might be obvious at first, there are really two sides to the debate.
On one hand, the Republican party has solid ground to pass this legislation. In a time of prime economic recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic, the government must prioritize funding its domestic endeavors rather than ones abroad.
The billions of dollars used to aid Ukraine could have simply been used to fund further recovery of the US economy. It could have also been used to combat the prime issue of inflation that many Republicans are fighting for.
On the other hand, aid to Ukraine has been an indispensable tool in the fight against Russia. Not just economic aid, but humanitarian and military aid have been key to Ukraine's success against its attackers.
Specifically, the United States gave Ukraine access to advanced military technology and medical equipment. This has allowed them to further advance against Russia.
In the end, Democrats are advocating that the benefits of aiding Ukraine are more important and impact the most amount of people in comparison to promoting domestic projects.
While both sides of this argument are clear, the simple answer to whether we should end our aid to Ukraine is on the basis of the United States' goals.
As a global hegemonic leader, the United States must upkeep its reputation and relations with other foreign nations to remain this way.
Most importantly, this means keeping a close relationship with NATO, and the European Union. The US' role in this war has not only been good for Ukraine, but also for its image abroad.
Shifting the image of the United States in a more positive light is an extremely good thing. When more countries begin to trust the US, that allows them to continue promoting important projects such as expanding economic growth in developing nations.
To countries that once felt like they couldn't trust the US, now they realize that they can. This means, not just more benefits for the US, but increased benefits to the entire world.
Without such an image, the US could fall as a leader of the global order which would be devastating, not just for the US, but its allies as well.
Overall, while the money being sent to Ukraine could be viewed as a useless tool, its role in promoting the US foreign policy objectives is critical. Because of this, it would be irresponsible to end our aid to Ukraine.
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