Yes, Ukraine matters to the Chamorros of the Marianas

We all know that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered Russian military forces into Ukraine almost several weeks ago, attacking various areas of the country that has resulted in massive human suffering and outflows into nearby countries that are part of the NATO alliance. 

Some say that Putin is a madman, a crazy man, an evil man. Others, such as former president Donald Trump, claim Putin is a genius. A third way to view President Putin is this: he is the leader of a large and diverse country, that like the United States, has thousands of nuclear weapons available for use and has a variety of natural resources that remain in high demand worldwide.

Why Putin is not a crazy man
Vladimir Putin is not crazy nor is he somehow mentally checked out. What Mr. Putin is, is a brilliant former Russian intelligence officer who understands Russia’s interests and will go to great lengths to ensure that Russia remains intact as a nation. 

Putin views Ukraine as a core strategic interest of the Russian Federation because Ukraine lies on the Russian border. Putin has not and will not accept American, NATO, or EU dominance on Russia’s border that advantages the West and the United States in particular. 

But why is Putin attacking Ukraine?
The attack on Ukraine makes complete sense for Putin for several reasons and a couple of these reasons stick out. First, Ukraine is a core strategic interest of Russia and Putin will continue to tear apart the country to prevent the West and the United States from turning the place into an American satellite state. 

Second, Putin is too sophisticated and intelligent to formally annex Ukraine when he can, instead, kill Ukrainians, precipitate massive outflows of people into NATO countries such as Poland, and effectively maintain Russian influence on this border state. 

Why Americans are incentivized to reassess their thinking
There are many reasons why fellow citizens of the American empire should review how they are thinking about the Ukrainian situation. Ukraine is not bordering the United States to the north or to the south because it is not located in the western hemisphere. Ukraine is not China, it is not a potential strategic threat to the United States, and it doesn’t do much for the United States or its outlying Pacific Island colonies. The United States has been shifting its focus on China, which if things continue, will overtake America in aggregate economic wealth and technological prowess over time. Now is not the time to refocus on delivering massive resources and billions in aid to Ukraine, when this country is simply not an American core interest. 

Unneeded wars, spilled American blood and lost treasure—we still haven’t learned our lesson
The 9/11 attacks on the United States were horrific, but not existential to America remaining a superpower. Thousands died, thousands of families suffered horrific losses, and the way America conducted national security and foreign affairs changed. American sons and daughters volunteered to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan and came home in body bags. Hundreds of thousands of civilians—moms, dads, kids, elderly, etc.—died in Iraq and Afghanistan from the fighting. Total estimated national costs to manage this so-called war on terror range upwards to approximately $8 trillion. America lost in Iraq and in Afghanistan, just like Russia lost in Afghanistan. 

Now is not the time to get further entangled in NATO and EU politics, especially when some of these NATO countries close to Russia are rapidly moving away from democratic principles and practices. 

What our Chamorro people should pay attention to
Ukraine has already precipitated cost of living pressures on our Chamorro people as tightly managed and supplied foodstuff, natural resources, and consumable goods prices continue to skyrocket throughout the Marianas. 

The more important consideration for our Chamorro people is this: Can the United States manage itself after being preoccupied with land wars in the central Asiatic region for the past two decades? 

Can we continue supplying the Ukrainians with anti-aircraft and anti-tank missile weapons in the form of foreign aid while China and Russia are incentivized to grow their common interests and bilateral relationship? American leaders don’t want to establish a no-fly zone in Ukraine nor do national leaders agree on allowing NATO countries to provide massive military weapons to the Ukrainians to fight the Russians. Yet NATO is now preparing over 30,000 troops (which include American troops) to respond to a variety of possible contingencies tied to the fighting in Ukraine.

What is the point?
The point is that America has a greater interest in focusing on Chinese developments and interests and this requires building lasting friendships with countries that border or are located near China. The United States has solid relations with Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, but lags in its strategic relations with India, Iran, and Russia. 

Europe is not the world’s center of wealth and prosperity, because it is Asia that now holds this distinction.  

Northeast Asia, which includes the western Pacific periphery that includes our Marianas Islands, constitutes a core—yes core—national security interest for the United States. If America continues to support NATO when it comes to Ukraine, and all the possible first, second, and third order risks and consequences of placing too much focus on European affairs, we risk losing opportunities to pivot into producing a more positive and real strategic relationship with Russia. 

We need Russia on our side because American core interests lie in the Northeast Asiatic region. If we continue to spend time, money, and resources on Ukraine, we will not become any more secure as a nation and will make it easier for the Chinese to outsmart us over the long term, especially if they have a stronger relationship with Russia.