HAVING hitched our wagon, so to speak, to Uncle Sam's caravan just when it is losing traction in the world, we may — like Ukraine — lose big and, God forbid, get crushed. The following year, Russia invaded Ukraine and annexed Crimea, with Western nations failing to intervene despite pledging to secure Ukrainian territory. RAND Corp., funded by the US military, published last July "How to Reverse the Erosion of US and Allied Military Power and Influence." Ironically, and perhaps providentially, America's recent decline in clout resulted precisely from its drive to stay on top. Weeks after the Feb. 24, 2022 invasion, Kyiv and Moscow forged a peace deal for Ukraine's neutrality and full Russian withdrawal.

Source: Manila Times February 17, 2024 17:18 UTC