Sometimes, conflicts a world away can seem inconsequential to our daily lives. But the war in Ukraine does affect us, whether we recognize it or not.
I bring this up from time to time because it’s worth repeating: the fate of Ukraine matters to you and me.
Yes, it may be difficult at times to connect the dots between a conflict thousands of miles away and our concerns at home, which are aplenty.
But here are just a couple:
- There are numerous Ukrainian-American communities throughout the country lending a hand from afar. Chicago, Philadelphia, and Cleveland have large Ukrainian ancestry enclaves, not to mention others like Pittsburgh and Hamtramck, Michigan. Thousands of Ukrainians fleeing the fighting at home have settled in these cities with help from their American cousins.
- The war between Russia and Ukraine could eventually draw in American forces. While this is a long shot (for now), it’s not entirely outside the realm of possibility. During his recent “summit” with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump floated the idea of sending U.S. forces to Ukraine in a peacekeeping role. Such a move would place an outsized burden on us, considering the large number hailing from Postindustrial Communities. Many of our loved ones would be placed in harm’s way.
Other reasons include the effect this war already has on the global economy, which eventually hits all of us in the wallet.
Then there’s the prospect of Putin feeling emboldened were he to win in Ukraine, inspiring him to take another bite out of Europe, a move that could send the entire planet into a financial tailspin.
Now, some leaders in Washington, almost all in Trump’s orbit, would have you believe that this war isn’t our concern.
Take Secretary of State Marco Rubio, for example.
He contends the Ukrainian-Russian war is “not our war.”
Rubio couldn’t be more wrong. As the world’s leading economy and war machine, it certainly is our war.
We’ve contributed billions of dollars in military aid to the fight and have a vested interest in seeing Putin’s efforts to reconstitute the Soviet Union thwarted, even if our current president couldn’t be more obsequious to the Russian despot.
And in an increasingly interconnected world where factors listed above affect every one of us, this fight is ours and our partners in Europe to win or lose.
We can never forget the fact, lest we fall prey to the isolationist attitudes of some who think they can close their eyes and plug their ears to all the problems in the world to make them go away.
The world isn’t that simple, and we cannot afford to treat troubles like the war in Ukraine as if they don’t matter to us.
