by Chris McGlynn
Relationships can get messy…really fast. Russia’s relationship with neighboring Ukraine has never been ideal, but recently things took a turn for the worse. Simply stated, this is a situation which the U.S. should not get involved.
The whole situation is fairly complicated. The relationship between Ukraine and Russia dates back to the days before World War II. These two countries have a lot of similarities from their days of being a joint nation under the Soviet Union and have similar cultures but recent issues have arisen over the annexed land of Crimea.
Opinion
The issues began when former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych was overthrown following protests from an opposing political party. He held very similar ideals to Russia and was replaced by a democratic government appointed by the U.S. with $1 billion of support after Yanukovych fled. It violates United States’ law to supply a nation that has just overthrown its government. Additionally, it would be hypocritical for America, a country founded on the right to choose freedom, to step in and prevent another country from making its own choices.
Unfortunately, the U.S. is already involved. Despite America’s efforts to rebuild its economy and handle domestic issues regarding gun control and health care, the government sent over a billion dollars to hold sway in the formation of the new Ukrainian government. International affairs should be conducted with a sense of integrity. This seems like a bribe.
This mess is about to get a whole lot messier. Crimea held a vote to decide where its loyalty lies last Sunday. The vote revealed that 95.5 percent of voters would rather join Russia and secede from Ukraine. This decision means there will be uproar from Ukraine as its government is unlikely to just hand over Crimea, leading to a possible civil war.
The most frightening aspect of the whole situation is which nations are supporting each side. America has pledged its support to the Ukrainian regime, while Russia clearly has backed Crimea. Neither Russia or the U.S. is technically involved in this war, but the fact is these two global superpowers are on opposing side of a growing conflict. Essentially— the Cold War revisited.
However, there have not been signs of war to this point and Ukraine and Russia have agreed to a truce until March 21. This situation is far from completely resolved, but it seems that for a brief spell at least, cooler heads have prevailed. There are a lot of question marks in the whole scenario and most of the world it just waiting to see what will happen next.
Unfortunately, the U.S. is already involved. Despite America’s efforts to rebuild its economy and handle domestic issues regarding gun control and health care, the government sent over a billion dollars to hold sway in the formation of the new Ukrainian government. International affairs should be conducted with a sense of integrity. This seems like a bribe.
This mess is about to get a whole lot messier. Crimea held a vote to decide where its loyalty lies last Sunday. The vote revealed that 95.5 percent of voters would rather join Russia and secede from Ukraine. This decision means there will be uproar from Ukraine as its government is unlikely to just hand over Crimea, leading to a possible civil war.
The most frightening aspect of the whole situation is which nations are supporting each side. America has pledged its support to the Ukrainian regime, while Russia clearly has backed Crimea. Neither Russia or the U.S. is technically involved in this war, but the fact is these two global superpowers are on opposing side of a growing conflict. Essentially— the Cold War revisited.
However, there have not been signs of war to this point and Ukraine and Russia have agreed to a truce until March 21. This situation is far from completely resolved, but it seems that for a brief spell at least, cooler heads have prevailed. There are a lot of question marks in the whole scenario and most of the world it just waiting to see what will happen next.