Two years ago, on February 24, 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. The costs of this war have been unbelievably high. Half a million Ukrainian and Russian soldiers have been either killed or wounded. In terms of cost, the U.S. alone has spent $113 billion on the war. And an aid package that includes another $60 billion for Ukraine is stuck in Congress.
Americans’ changing sentiment about the war has certainly contributed to that package being in limbo. Two years ago, there was broad support for the war: 66 percent of Americans thought we needed to help Ukraine. But that view is no longer the consensus. Several polls have indicated that the majority of Americans oppose additional funding to support Ukraine.
Meanwhile, the eastern Ukrainian city of Avdiivka fell to Russian forces last weekend. The Biden administration says it’s a direct consequence of congressional inaction.
Today on Honestly, a debate: Where is all of America’s aid to Ukraine going? Is Ukraine really such a clear-cut cause? Even if you believe that it is, what has all of this sacrifice gotten Ukraine—and the U.S.? Can Ukraine even win this war? What’s the endgame? And is victory in Ukraine really as important to America as many politicians claim that it is?
Bret Stephens is a Pulitzer Prize-winning opinion columnist for The New York Times. His book, America in Retreat: The New Isolationism and the Coming Global Disorder, foresaw much of today’s world. Bret worries that the world is on the precipice of World War III. Isolationism, he argues, only contributes to global instability.
Elbridge Colby is co-founder of The Marathon Initiative think tank. He served as deputy assistant secretary of defense for strategy and force development under President Trump, and he is the author of The Strategy of Denial: American Defense in an Age of Great Power Conflict. Colby believes the United States must make difficult defense choices in an era of great power competition. Ukraine, he argues, is not the top priority.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Rethinking Higher Ed with Harvard’s Former President
Are We Living Through 'End Times'?
When Ideology Corrupts Medicine—and How One Reporter Exposed It
Affirmative Action, Gay Rights, and Free Speech: What The Supreme Court's Rulings Mean for America
Chris Christie Endorsed Trump Twice. Now He Wants To Eliminate Him.
RFK Jr. Is Striking a Nerve. He Explains Why.
How To Dad in 2023: A Roundtable With Our Favorite Fathers
What Jordan Neely’s Death Tells Us About Mental Illness and Vigilantism
How to Live Longer and Healthier with Dr. Peter Attia
Get To Know Tim Scott: The GOP’s Newest Presidential Hopeful
Israel at 75: Miracles and Madness
America Needs a Self-Help Book. Tim Urban's Got One.
Peter Thiel Says America Has Bigger Problems Than Wokeness
AI With Sam Altman: The End of The World? Or The Dawn of a New One?
‘My Friend’s Descent into Madness and Bloodshed’: An American Tragedy
Our Favorite Passover Conversation
New York City Mayor Eric Adams
Rick Rubin Says Trust Your Gut, Not Your Audience
Bank Runs, Crypto Scams and World-Transforming AI with Tyler Cowen
Why Men Seek Danger
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The Modern West
The Commentary Magazine Podcast
Conversations with Tyler
UnHerd with Freddie Sayers
heretics. | andrew gold
Making Sense with Sam Harris