Joe Biden Describes Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine as “Test for the Ages” for United States & World
Jose Nino
|
During a speech at the Royal Castle in Warsaw, Poland, President Joe Biden declared that when Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, “the whole world faced a test for the ages.”
Biden gave this speech on February 21, 2023 during a visit to Poland ahead of the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Biden added that “Europe was being tested. America was being tested. NATO was being tested. All democracies were being tested. And the questions we faced were as simple as they were profound.”
The US president’s visit to Poland was designed to rally NATO nations behind the US led effort to continue a proxy war — largely based on supplying copious amounts of economic and military aid to Ukraine. Poland has been one of the most enthusiastic NATO members in terms of its willingness to escalate tensions with Russia. Poland has legitimate historical grievances with Russia as it has faced subjugation under Imperial Russia and the Soviet Union.
However, such grievances should not dictate the way the US conducts foreign policy. These are the pitfalls of the US forging alliances with countries thousands of miles away who have historical grievances they want to settle. Eventually, the US could be dragged into these conflicts by virtue of being in an entangling alliance.
Instead, the US should allow for Poland, as a sovereign nation, to arm itself accordingly and take full control of its defense affairs. Poland has already committed to spending 4% of its GDP on defense. However, the US’s plans for setting up a permanent military base in Poland will only make the potential for war greater now that it has military assets there. If Poland truly respected itself, it would exercise its sovereignty by not allowing the US to station a base on its territory and work to build an independent defense architecture in Eastern Europe.
That’s the course of action any nation with dignity would pursue.
Share: