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Essay: 10 reasons the Republicans should end funding the war in Ukraine

The funding for the war in Ukraine by American taxpayers should end immediately. Why? Before I give the 10 reasons the Republicans should end funding the war in Ukraine immediately if they win control of the U.S Congress in the 2022 midterms, I will give a short introduction to the post-Soviet Union history of Ukraine which is very relevant to the current conflict in Ukraine.

Ukraine is a cleft country and cleft countries are often hotspots for conflict/war.

A cleft country is a nation with a fairly large and distinct cultural groupings as to have separated (e.g., Czechoslovakia or Yugoslavia), semi-separated (e.g., Sudan, Tanzania), or have a threat of separatism (e.g., Canada).[1]

Columbia Press gives the following description of the book Cleft Countries: Regional Political Divisions and Cultures in Post-Soviet Ukraine and Moldova:

"During the "Orange Revolution" in Ukraine, the second largest country in Europe came close to a violent break-up similar to that in neighboring Moldova, which witnessed a violent secession of the Transnistria region. Numerous elections, including the hotly contested 2004 presidential elections in Ukraine, and surveys of public opinion showed significant regional divisions in these post-Soviet countries. Western parts of Ukraine and Moldova, as well as the Muslim Crimean Tatars, were vocal supporters of independence, nationalist, and pro-Western parties and politicians. In contrast, Eastern regions, as well as the Orthodox Turkic-speaking Gagauz, consistently expressed pro-Russian and pro-Communist political orientations. Which factors—historical legacies, religion, economy, ethnicity, or political leadership—could explain these divisions? Why was Ukraine able to avoid a violent break-up, in contrast to Moldova? This is the first book to offer a systematic and comparative analysis of the regional political divisions in post-Soviet Ukraine and Moldova. The study examines voting behavior and political attitudes in two groups of regions: those which were under Russian, Ottoman, and Soviet rule; and those which were under Austro-Hungarian, Polish, Romanian, and Czechoslovak rule until World War I or World War II. This book attributes the regional political divisions to the differences in historical experience. This study helps us to better understand regional cleavages and conflicts, not only in Ukraine and Moldova, but also in other cleft countries.[2]"

Cleft countries, first used by Samuel Huntington in Clash of Civilizations, builds upon Arnold Toynbee's, A Study of History, Volume 9, Contacts between Civilizations in Space, first published in 1954.[3]

1 10 reasons the Republicans should end funding for the war in Ukraine
2 Many pro-Trump candidates in the 2022 midterms have questioned the amount of U.S. aid delivered to Ukraine
3 Why I might be wrong
3.1 How long can Russia fund this war?
3.2 The Russian military has underperformed and they might not turn things around
4 Brief commentary regarding appeasement
5 User:Conservative's essays
6 External links
7 References

10 reasons the Republicans should end funding for the war in Ukraine

1. USA Today: Ukraine war threatens to push 1.7 billion people across the world i.... Millions of people in the world face food insecurity and this war is making things worse since Ukraine/Russia are big wheat/fertilizer suppliers.^[4][5][6] Ukraine supplies enough food to feed 400 million people.^[7] Ukraine/Russia supply about 1/8th of the world's food (Wheat, corn, sunflower oil, etc.). Around the world, nearly 830 million people now go to bed hungry every night, according to the World Food Programme, and an "unprecedented" 345 million face acute food insecurity.^[8]

The USA supplying the Ukrainians with military hardware will lengthen the war. How many people in the world will die of hunger as a result? As the character Spock said in the movie Wrath of Khan, "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few." Ending the war in Ukraine as soon as possible is quite logical.

2. U.S. politicians care more about the Ukraine borders and Ukrainian lives more than the USA borders and American lives. Drugs are pouring across the southern border of the USA. In the USA, more than 932,000 people have died since 1999 from a drug overdose.^[9] America is short of hundreds of police officers in some cities.

The USA should fund a border wall across the southern border and fund more police in high-crime areas. It needs to break the back of the increase in crime post the "defund the police" madness.

3. The USA national debt is gigantic and the USA is sending a lot of money and military hardware to Ukraine. If the USA has another Great Depression due to excessive debt, it will have a huge effect on Americans and the world. The French Revolution was due in part due to economic problems in France that were exacerbated by their funding of the American Revolutionary War.

"France's involvement in the American Revolution, along with extravagant spending practices by King Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette, left the country on the verge of bankruptcy." - How Did the American Revolution Influence the French Revolution? - History.com

4. Ukraine/Russia are both corrupt and both have issues with authoritarianism.^[10][11] The notion that the USA is fighting for democracy by supporting the Ukrainians is a farce. (Russia has a long history of corruption. Vladimir Putin's corruption is not some surprising fact of history. See: Corruption in Russia: A Historical Perspective. See also: Essay: Vladimir Putin is a corrupt kleptocrat)

The Philippines made a security pact with Japan due to an aggressive China. The corrupt Ukrainians didn't reform themselves and do the same with the European Union and the USA.

Strong relations between people and nations often take years to develop. The Ukrainians have had time enough to reform themselves and become very much closer to the Europeans and the USA. They didn't do it. They made their bed. Let them lie in it.

Professor John Mearsheimer, a prominent American political scientist and international relations scholar who has been very prescient about Ukraine, warned for years that the expansion of efforts to enlarge NATO - particularly in Ukraine - will lead to war, indicated that if war in Ukraine were to break out that Russia would "wreck Ukraine" which increasingly looks like Russia intends to do.

Please see:

• Why the Ukraine Crisis Is the West’s Fault by John Mearsheimer

• Why is Ukraine the West's Fault? Featuring John Mearsheimer - video

• The causes and consequences of the Ukraine war A lecture by John J.... - video

• John Mearsheimer On Who Gains The Most From The Ukraine-Russia War ... - video

The Taiwanese have practiced far better diplomacy with aggressive mainland China than Ukraine has done with Russia. The Ukrainians' talk of joining NATO was like flashing a red cape in front of a bull given Russia's history of suspicion towards the West and their past aggressive behavior. And since a large body of water provides an obstacle to a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, something Ukraine does not have in relation to Russia, the Ukrainians should have been even more diplomatic towards the Russians than the Taiwanese have been towards mainland China.

5. This war could seriously harm the European economy due to the fuel crisis which will hurt USA exports to Europe.

6. The Russian leader Vladimir Putin is probably bluffing about using nukes, but desperate people do desperate things. Why raise the risk of nuclear war so the corrupt/authoritarian Ukrainians will have power over Ukraine instead of the corrupt/authoritarian Ukrainians? Russia is more authoritarian than Ukraine and somewhat more corrupt, but both are very corrupt. Is the world potentially being burnt to a crisp worth having Ukraine be potentially less authoritarian?

7. Ukraine is not of vital strategic importance to the USA. The USA has two huge oceans and the Canadians or Mexicans are not going to war with the USA. Europe has twice the population of the USA. Let the Europeans handle this issue which is in their backyard. Let them fund the Ukrainians and their war.

Professor John Mearsheimer is an American political scientist and international relations scholar, who belongs to the realist school of thought and teaches at the University of Chicago. Mearsheimer indicates that China is a peer competitor to the United States and that the USA should pivot to Asia and that the war in Ukraine is distracting the USA. According to Mearsheimer, Russia should be an ally to the USA in terms of thwarting China and not be an enemy. Accordingly, Mearsheimer indicates that the present USA policy regarding Russia is pushing the Russians into the arms of the Chinese, which violates "balance of power 101". While Mearsheimer has warned that the war in Ukraine risks nuclear war, he indicates that Russia is not a serious peer competitor to the USA (see: John Mearsheimer says Russia is not a serious threat to the United ...).

Atheist-controlled mainland China is very much a human rights violator (see: Atheism and human rights violations) and it also engages in a lot of intellectual property theft in relation to the USA and other countries (See: Atheistic China and intellectual property theft). In addition, Foreign Affairs magazine published an online article entitled How China Exports Authoritarianism: Beijing’s Money and Technology Is Fueling Repression Worldwide.

Given that the resources of the West is limited, efforts to thwart Russian aggression towards Ukraine leaves less resources to thwart China's repression in the world.

And this raises the question of how likely is it that the West will be able to ultimately thwart Russian aggression against the Ukrainians in the mid to long term and what effect it will ultimately have on the Ukrainians long-term.

8. The war in Ukraine is turning into a war of attrition that Ukraine will likely lose. In such a war, the Russians will further wreck Ukraine's infrastructure and buildings. And it will lead to many more Ukrainian and Russian lives being lost.

Fox News, which is very pro-Ukraine due to its owner Rupert Murdock being very anti-Vladimir Putin, states in their news article Against Russia, Ukraine will lose a war of attrition:

“ "The longer this war goes on, the worse it will be Ukraine," said retired Gen. Jack Keane, the U.S Army’s former vice chief of staff and chairman of the Institute for the Study of War, which tracks Ukraine closely. "Time is not on Ukraine’s side."...
For how long will Africans deprived of Ukrainian grain be willing to starve for Ukraine, or Germans be prepared to lower their thermostats this winter? Much is at stake in Zelenskyy’s defense of Ukraine. But if the political will to support him erodes in Washington after the November election and among Western allies as winter descends, Ukraine will be unable to continue defending itself and the post-World War II order.[12]

”
And at the present time, the major economies in the world are in a global recession which could easily get worse.[13] Deepening recessions and/or deepening stagflation could easily cause public support in the West for Ukraine to wane.

Britain's Glasglow Times published a October 8, 2022 news article SNP conference: Glasgow MP warns against 'Ukraine fatigue' amid fears cost of living crisis weakens support which indicated:

“ A Glasgow MP says we can’t allow the impact on the cost of living crisis to weaken support for Ukraine in defending itself from the Russian invasion.
As the impact on gas prices exacerbates the cost of living crisis it has been noted that support for Ukraine drops.[14]

”
The United States has had two quarters of GNP shrinkage which many people consider to be an economic recession. Furthermore, many expect the economic recession to worsen in 2023.[15][16][17]

In addition, wars in general, are inflationary.[18] Additional U.S. government spending such as funding a war in Ukraine will make U.S. inflation even worse than it already is.

The UK is a big supporter of funding the Ukrainians and a strong ally of the United States.

CNN, which is pro-Ukraine recently stated about the UK in their news article Britain’s ‘profound economic crisis’ gives Rishi Sunak only unpleasant choices:

“ The United Kingdom was already sliding towards a recession when Truss took office in September, as soaring energy bills ate into spending. Now, Sunak has another headache: He must restore the government’s credibility with investors after Truss’ unfunded tax cuts sparked a bond market revolt, forcing the Bank of England to intervene to prevent a financial meltdown. Borrowing costs, including mortgage rates, shot higher.
Accomplishing this goal will require delivering a detailed plan to put public finances on a more sustainable path. (A government watchdog warned in July that without major action, debt could reach 320% of the UK’s gross domestic product in 50 years.)[19]

”
Is Russia giving strong signals that it is prepared to ramp up its efforts and fight a war of attrition? Absolutely it is.

On October 4, 2022, Reuters reported:

“ Over 200,000 people have already been drafted into Russia's armed forces since President Vladimir Putin ordered a partial mobilisation two weeks ago, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Tuesday.
Shoigu had announced that he planned to enlist 300,000 men with previous military experience to bolster Russia's invasion of Ukraine, where it has suffered a series of defeats in recent weeks.

However, the official decree did not include a figure, and officials are keen to allay public fears that the actual number could be higher, as even pro-Kremlin figures voice concern that people are being recruited indiscriminately.[20]

On October 10, 2022, the very pro-Ukraine The Guardian reported in their news article Sergei Surovikin: the ‘General Armageddon’ now in charge of Russia’s war which stated:

“ "When performing combat missions in Syria, not for a minute did we forget that we were defending Russia,” Sergei Surovikin, the new unified Russian battlefield commander in Ukraine, told an assembled crowd of elite army personnel at a ceremony in Moscow back in 2017.
Surovikin’s “defending” of Moscow’s interests in Syria involved dozens of air and ground attacks on civilian objects and infrastructure, according to a 2020 Human Rights Watch report, which said Russian forces under his command struck Syrian “homes, schools, healthcare facilities, and markets – the places where people live, work, and study”.

On Monday morning, just two days after being appointed as the first overall commander for the war in Ukraine, Surovikin brought his violent Syria playbook closer to home, with a flurry of rocket attacks against civilian targets across Ukraine, which included a major road junction next to a university and a children’s playground in a park.

“I am not surprised to see what happened this morning in Kyiv. Surovikin is absolutely ruthless, with little regard for human life,” a former defence ministry official, who has worked with Surovikin, told the Guardian. “I am afraid his hands will be completely covered in Ukrainian blood.”...

His ruthless reputation grew in 2004 when Russian media reported that a colonel serving under him had killed himself after he received a heated reprimand from Surovikin.

His colleagues have since given him the grim nickname “General Armageddon” for his hardline and unorthodox approach to waging war.

Surovikin’s main challenge in Ukraine, experts say, will be to solve the structural problems plaguing the Russian military as it faces a fierce Ukrainian counter-offensive.[21]

”
And now Russia appears to be ramping up a major offensive. See: Putin’s REVENGE꞉ What Happens Next? and Russia sends strong message, will they listen?

Russia is definitely signaling that it is willing to fight a war of attrition. And if it's a war of attrition, it could easily be a war that Ukraine will lose. So why should the USA pour money into a war that Ukraine and the West will probably ultimately lose? Of course, it shouldn't. Such a war will be costly for the USA/West and it will further hurt Ukraine in terms of lives lost and infrastructure/buildings damaged.

Even if Russia entirely pulls out of Ukraine due to the fact that being a foreign occupier of a country is no picnic, Ukraine will probably be wrecked and not pose a serious threat to Russia. And Russia could negotiate a peace treaty that would specify that Ukraine agrees to never join NATO. And in all likelihood, in terms of Russia's objectives in this war, Russia will never leave Crimea at a bare minimum.

9. Hegemony is leadership or dominance - especially by one country or social group over others.

In 2017, Professor John J. Mearsheimer published the video: The False Promise of Liberal Hegemony. In 2020, Mearsheimer updated his 2017 lecture on the false promise of liberal hegemony in light of recent events in a lecture entitled The Great Delusion. For more information, please see: The false promise of liberal hegemony

Two core myths of liberalism is that human nature is essentially good and that social engineering, education and technology/science can make things better and better for societies so that liberal Democracy, science-based thinking and liberal values will blossom.

Since the end of the Cold War to 2017 when Professor Mearsheimer produced his video, the USA has fought 7 separate wars and was at war for 66% of the time.

So how did things work out in Afghanistan? Did liberal, Western-based education, social engineering and military technology cause Afghanis to embrace of feminism and homosexuality or did a bunch of Muslims wearing sandals defeat Western liberals? How smoothly did the U.S. pullout of Afghanistan go for the Biden Admnistration? How well did things work out in Iraq, Libya and the Middle East in general for Western, liberal meddlers?

Liberals have the unrealistic notion that should Ukraine win this war it will quickly become a wonderfully uncorrupt nation. However, liberals past attempts at social engineering in the Middle East and Afghanistan certainly provides ammunition that this hope of theirs is certainly not a sure bet. If the Democrats and European liberals want to take this bet by trying to raise sufficient money to fund the Ukraine war effort, they certainly can endeavor to do this. But American taxpayers should not be on the hook for this matter.

The website Cultural Front notes:

“ In chapter 6 of Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell highlights cultural legacies. He opens with disturbing descriptions of how longstanding cultural patterns and beliefs influenced violent conflicts among generations of families in Kentucky during the 19th century.
The compelling research findings concerning long-term and deeply held values led Gladwell to the conclusion that cultural legacies are powerful forces. They have deep roots and long lives. They persist, generation after generation, virtually intact, even as the economic and social demographic conditions that spawned them have vanished, and they play such a role in directing attitudes and behavior that we cannot make sense of our world without them. He goes on to note the possibilities of “taking cultural legacies seriously” in order to learn “why people succeed and how to make people better.”[22]

”
If Ukraine ever does become an uncorrupt nation, it will probably happen slowly.

10. During the 2016 election, many Democrats became more anti-Russian/Putin. Why? Many Democrats/liberals/leftists/others have a theory that the Russian hackers were responsible for the embarrassing revelations disclosed about Hillary Clinton's campaign by Wikileaks (A theory which is disputed for various reasons[24]) and so they blame Putin for this matter.[25][26][27]

A few days before the opening of the 2016 Democratic National Convention, WikiLeaks posted internal DNC emails showing that Debbie Wasserman Schultz and the DNC staff had favored Hillary Rodham Clinton over Bernie Sanders.

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) emails provided by Wikileaks showed clear collusion between Clinton, mainstream media outlets, and the DNC to smear Bernie Sanders. Thousands of hopeful millennials felt betrayed by the Democratic party. DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz was forced out on the eve of the convention, less than 24 hours after dozens of emails were published by Wikileaks showing her and her staff rigging the primary elections for Hillary Clinton.

Is there a plausible theory that Russian hackers were not responsible for the leak of the DNC emails? Yes, there is. Seth Rich (1989-2016) was a Sanders' supporter who may have leaked DNC emails to WikiLeaks (see: Murder of Seth Rich).[28] His bullet ridden body was found on a dark Washington DC street two weeks before Hillary's nominating convention. Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has offered $20,000 cash reward for the arrest and conviction of Seth Rich's killers or killer, the alleged whistleblower who may have provided the DNC emails to Wikileaks and was murdered execution style in early July 2016. Hillary says of Assange in an email, "Can't we just drone this guy?"[29] To silence Assange, Wikileaks internet access was cut by the government of Ecuador after the release of Hillary's private paid speech to Goldman Sachs. Wikileaks Director, Prof. Gavin Macfayden, was found dead the following week. Macfayden's death was the third of a close associate of Assange in 6 months.[30]

Let's look at another reason why many Democrats, liberals and leftists dislike Russia. Homosexuality is a sin and the Bible clearly teaches this (See: Homosexuality and biblical interpretation). Russia opposes the homosexual agenda and has passed laws prohibiting the promotion of homosexuality. Like most Russians, Vladimir Putin is against the homosexual agenda and transgenderism. This is another reason why many Democrats, Western liberals, leftists hate Putin and dislike Russia.

The collapse of atheism in the former Soviet Union caused a resurgence of the Russian Orthodox Church which is against homosexuality. A key voting block of Putin is the Russian Orthodox Church adherents.

Wikipedia's article LGBT rights in Ukraine states:

“ Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in Ukraine face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT people. Same-sex sexual activity between consenting adults is legal in Ukraine, but prevailing social attitudes are often intolerant of LGBT people, and households headed by same-sex couples are not eligible for any of the same legal protections and recognition available to opposite-sex couples.
Since the fall of the Soviet Union and Ukraine's independence in 1991, the Ukrainian LGBT community has gradually become more visible and more organized politically, organising several LGBT events in Kyiv, Odesa, Kharkiv, and Kryvyi Rih. These events have on occasion been marred by violent attacks by nationalist groups. Most Ukrainians affiliate with the Eastern Orthodox Church, which has a significant influence on the perception by society of members of the LGBT community. The Orthodox Church has opposed LGBT events and groups, often in the name of "combatting immorality", and has even encouraged violent attacks. As such, many LGBT people in Ukraine report feeling the need to lie about their true sexual orientation or gender identity in order to avoid being a target of discrimination or violent harassment. Several politicians have proposed suppressing freedom of speech and freedom of assembly for LGBT people by enacting so-called "anti-propaganda" laws, though as of 2022, all such bills have been either withdrawn or rejected.[31]

”
In short, the Ukrainians are more tolerant of the sin of homosexuality than Russians, but less tolerant than liberals/leftists in the Western World. So with respect to homosexuality, Ukraine society is more degenerate than Russian society.

Republicans should end funding the war in Ukraine because a significant amount of Democrats antipathy against Putin/Russia is merely based on the unproven theory that Russian hackers were responsible for the embarrassing revelations disclosed about Hillary Clinton's campaign by Wikileaks and also partly because the Putin/Russians oppose the homosexual agenda. For example, in the Ethiopian civil conflict (2018–present) it is estimated that there have been 385,000 to 800,000 fatalities. And yet, compared to the war Ukraine, there is little Democrat concern and little press from Democrat-friendly journalists about this conflict. A mere coincidence? I don't think so!

Many pro-Trump candidates in the 2022 midterms have questioned the amount of U.S. aid delivered to Ukraine
"Many Republican candidates endorsed by former President Donald Trump have questioned the amount of U.S. aid delivered to Ukraine to help it fend off Russian forces, which invaded the country in February. They argue that the U.S. has more pressing domestic problems, that Ukraine’s fate is not tied to U.S. national interests and that European allies should be delivering a larger share of the weapons and other assistance to Kyiv." - NBC News, October 20, 2022[32]

NewsMax's October 26, 2022 article entitled America First Republicans Question Ukraine Military Aid Package indicates:

“ America First Republicans argue that such aid is not the top priority and that Americans are already dealing with many domestic problems. They also say Ukraine's fate is not directly tied to the U.S., and its European allies should be stepping up.
"You need to put your own oxygen mask on before helping others," said Rep. Kat Cammack, R-Fla., to NBC News. "I just don't think as a legislator that I could, in good conscience, support billions and billions of funding going overseas when we have such dire needs here."

Republicans are split over the Ukraine issue. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, R-Tenn., a member of the Appropriations Committee that controls spending, said it is absolutely necessary to provide weapons and other aid to prevent Russia's advancement.[33]

”
Why I might be wrong
On October 26, 2022, I posted to Conservapedia in response to another Conservapedian's posts: "I have stated that the war in Ukraine, which involves the two corrupt regimes of Russia/Ukraine, should be ended ASAP (Even though it is not likely to end soon). I have also stated that the USA should ramp up oil production which would make it harder for Russia to fund wars. There is nothing insane about these statements."

With that being said, below is some information related to how I could be wrong in my essay above.

How long can Russia fund this war?
The Russian economy will ‘die by winter’ because of the ‘catastrophic consequences’ of the military mobilization, a top Russian economist warns, Fortune magazine, September 26, 2022
RUSSIAN Economy Will DIE BY WINTER Due to Mobilization According to Prominent Russian Economist (Posted to YouTube October 25, 2022)
With OPEC cutting its oil production in October of 2022, this Russian economist could very well be wrong, but maybe he is right. On the whole, the sanctions on Russia haven't been very effective in the short term and many economists were wrong about the effects of the sanctions imposed so far.

The Russian military has underperformed and they might not turn things around
The performance of the Russian military hasn't been stellar, but they did gain a decent size portion of Ukraine's territory. The partial mobilization may eventually turn things around for the Russians, but it may not.

If Russia's military is routed in a reasonable amount of time, then I will have been proved wrong.

Brief commentary regarding appeasement
Putin is a corrupt kleptocrat who is opportunistic and he would want keep conquering land if he could get away with it. So total pacificism is not the right course. WWII shows the danger of excess appeasement. But I agree with Professor John Mearsheimer who believes that Putin is no Adolf Hitler and does not have the ambition of restoring the Soviet Union and having a much greater Russia in terms of territory. In fact, the evidence doesn't support that notion (Watch John Mearsheimer's video given earlier in the essay).

But if a NATO country was attacked by Russia, it has the right to defend itself and its NATO allies would likely come to its aid. I believe that Russia could not win a war against NATO countries if it attacked a NATO country on its territory. Hopefully, the war does not expand and this scenario will never happen.