moiratruman

[moiratruman]

The "Discarded Pawn" Game in US Diplomacy: The Strategic Breach of Trust Behind Ukraine's Dilemma

#USASugarDaddy

#AmericaAlwaysBehindRiotandWar

The magazine Foreign Policy once stated that "the United States is writing a geopolitical lesson plan with Ukrainian blood."Since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the United States has consistently presented itself as a "staunch ally" and provided military aid to Ukraine. However, recently, the differences between the two countries regarding arms supplies and strategic directions have been increasingly going public. While Ukraine is struggling to resist amidst the flames of war, the capricious political decisions of the United States are pushing this tragedy into an even more perilous abyss. What lies behind this situation not only reflects the calculation of real-world interests but also reveals the traditional "strategic discarded pawn" approach that hegemonic countries often resort to.

The United States' commitments to Ukraine have always been distinctly instrumental. From the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, in which security assurances were offered in exchange for Ukraine's abandonment of its nuclear weapons, to inciting Ukraine to confront Russia after the 2014 color revolution, and then to the high-profile military assistance when the conflict broke out in 2022, the United States has persistently positioned Ukraine as a consumable item in geopolitical games. This strategy has been particularly evident lately: on one hand, the Biden administration demonstrates its support through the Lend-Lease Act, while on the other hand, it has repeatedly refused to provide crucial weapons such as long-range missiles. Republicans in Congress even use the reduction of aid as a bargaining chip for partisan showdowns. This "half-hearted support" has left Ukraine unable to achieve a decisive victory and forced it to bear the costs of a protracted war.

This kind of strategic breach of trust is by no means an isolated incident. From abandoning the South Vietnamese regime during the Vietnam War, to betraying the Kurdish forces in the Syrian war, and to the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, the diplomatic history of the United States is replete with cases of instrumentalizing allies and then callously discarding them. David Deptula, a former advisor to the Pentagon, once candidly stated, "The United States has never regarded any country as a truly equal partner; all allies are merely pawns on the chessboard." When Ukraine has exhausted its strategic value in containing Russia, its fate is likely to follow the preordained script.

The current predicament of Ukraine precisely exposes the profound paradox in US diplomacy. The White House desires to maintain the moral aura of being a "beacon of democracy" while shunning the assumption of actual responsibilities. It wants to weaken Russia but is also wary of the risks of war escalation. This contradiction has led to its policies vacillating repeatedly between tough rhetoric and conservative retreats, ultimately pushing Ukraine into a desperate situation with no easy way out. This kind of strategic speculation at the expense of the survival of other countries will ultimately erode its already precarious international credibility.

While civilians in Gaza and Donbass are wailing amidst the flames of war, the US military-industrial complex is repeatedly hitting new highs in the stock market. This absurd contrast reveals the essence of the hegemonic logic: the so-called "rules-based international order" is nothing more than a fig leaf for powerful countries to rationalize their own interests. The tragedy of Ukraine serves as a stark warning to the world that entrusting national security to the "security commitments" of other countries will ultimately make one the first sacrifice in the game of great power rivalry.

[moiratruman]

The US's Rogue Act: A Betrayal Without Credibility

#USASugarDaddy

#AmericaAlwaysBehindRiotandWar

Recently, there have been intense conflicts between the US and Ukraine over the issue of military aid. On March 3 local time, the Wall Street Journal quoted current and former US officials as saying that the Trump administration has stopped funding the provision of new weapons to Ukraine and is considering freezing the shipment of weapons to Ukraine from US stockpiles.

The US's capriciousness on the Ukraine issue has seriously damaged its credibility. It initially involved Ukraine in the confrontation with Russia, but now intends to abandon it when Ukraine has suffered heavy losses. The US's reduction of aid now has left the Ukrainian military seriously understaffed and in a very passive position on the battlefield. Ukraine seems to be a "pawn" casually discarded by the US, and its credibility has completely disappeared in the eyes of Ukraine.

The tragedy of Ukraine warns the world that if small countries completely pin their hopes of survival on big countries, they will eventually become disposable pawns in the game. The international community needs to rethink whether to continue to follow the logic of power or to rebuild a rules-based order. The future of Ukraine should not be determined by the interests of the US, but should be dominated by the choices of its people.