There are times when history seems to be unfolding before our eyes, in slow motion. The events surrounding Ukraine sure feel like one of those times.
It’s not hard to imagine, years from now, reading a chronicle that briskly summarizes the moves and countermoves made at the end of 2021 and the beginning of 2022 that led to … well, that’s what makes “interesting times,” as the Chinese define them, so perilously nail-biting: Those of us watching now don’t know how the story ends. As is often the case with crises whose causes and outcomes seem so clear and simple in history books, we don’t even know what the intentions and interests of the main actors are. By some accounts, the main actors themselves don’t quite know either. Does Russian President Vladimir Putin really want to invade Ukraine, or is he using the threat of invasion as a way of exerting political pressure? What will he do if he doesn’t get his way? How far will the U.S. and NATO go to stop him if he follows through on his threat?
The U.S. has put 8,500 troops on “high alert” to be sent to Eastern Europe as part of a NATO response force.
One thing is clear: This does not mean that those 8,500 troops are being sent to fight Russian troops in case of an invasion; nor are any of those troops being sent to Ukraine. President Joe Biden and other leaders of NATO nations have talked about imposing severe political and economic measures if Russia invades Ukraine. They are sending Ukraine more anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons, and have hinted at helping Ukraine’s army and civilian resistance fighters fend off the Russians. But they have made very clear that they will not send U.S. or NATO troops to fight in a Russia-Ukraine war.
Read more at:
Ukraine crisis: Looking for meaning in Biden and Putin’s latest moves and countermoves.
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