I'm not sure how well covered the war in Ukraine is outside of Europe these days but the prolonged freeze on American support for the country – and what appears to now be an almost certain collapse of a deal that was supposed to unlock it – is one of those things that makes me question our future as a species.
Now, you may think it matters to me due to my ethnic and cultural proximity to Ukrainians, as well as the brutal history of Russian oppression of Eastern Europe – and it otherwise does, but not in the particular case I'm writing about here.
This is considerably more serious because it points to the fundamental dysfunction of Western democracy, which is charged with providing a safe, attractive alternative to falling under the boot of demented autocrats of this world – like the ones in Russia, China or Iran, among quite a few smaller brutes.
So, what happened in America that is so profound?
Together with Biden, Democrats tried to push through more aid to Ukraine through Congress, as the president has exhausted the funds at his direct disposal.
Republicans, who wield the majority in the House, opposed it, on the grounds that the administration cares more about borders of foreign countries than its own – and it is a perfectly fine, understandable complaint.
The GOP won the majority in no small part due to the mishandling of illegal immigration by the Biden admin and it's only logical that they are going to use it as leverage to force through measures that would improve border security, keeping i.a. funds for Ukraine hostage until they get what they want.
Unfortunately, now that they have negotiated a deal that seemed to have been accepted, many Republicans got cold feet.
And it wasn't about policy – that they yielded too much or were given too little – it was about little more than their own particular, political interests in a year of presidential election.
They must have realized how they have cornered themselves. Because, if the deal addresses the immigration issues well enough, then it would show that Biden can be reasoned with – but if it doesn't, then it would make the whole push for tougher measures look pointless.
In either case, Republicans lose (or so they appear to think) – and they don't want to lose in a presidential election year, what Donald Trump himself understands extremely well, pushing for the deal to be scuttled behind the scenes.
The disturbing part in all of this, that I seek to draw your attention to, is the combination of mind-boggling stupidity and revolting cynicism of the political "elite" of the pre-eminent superpower, that so many millions of lives depend on all over the planet.
Thousands of people more will die in Ukraine, because it's inconvenient for one party in America to cut a deal that it itself wanted to negotiate in the first place.
But not only that. Republicans are also willing to sacrifice American lives and keep the southern border open to illegal immigration just to pummel Biden with it, even as the administration yielded to some of their demands.
And all of this because they were too short-sighted and dimwitted starting this whole row in the first place.
Napoleon is said to have quipped that you should "never interrupt your enemy when he's making a mistake" – but Republicans not only did that, they also handed him a victory on a silver platter, while cowardly retreating once they realised they baited themselves into a cul-de-sac.
And these people want to run the country?
But it gets worse when you realize that the other side would likely do the exact same thing, only to score some political points ahead of a popular vote a few months down the road.
Let's not forget that the whole war in Ukraine was largely caused by the US led by Clinton and his push to move nuclear weapons out of the country, providing only weak, non-binding security assurances, that Americans are now so eager to break.
It was Obama's (and EU's) weakness that motivated Putin to invade Ukraine back in 2014 and Biden's weakness and predictability that caused the same in 2022.
Heck, the entire "developed" West was petrified in 2022 and largely refused to provide meaningful support to Ukrainians until it turned out that Russians got bogged down.
But even 2 years after it happened Ukrainians have to beg for help that so many are still reluctant to provide, even as they bear considerable responsibility for their deaths.
Is this all that the "developed" world has to offer?
Let's be friends but when someone screws you over we're going to leave you to bleed and die?
If those seemingly representing the pinnacle of human civilisation can't even put a broke bully in his place, what hope is there for the rest of the world, other than kowtowing to some other dictator that is a direct threat to them?
It may turn out to be smarter to manage a known threat than depend on someone who can abandon you without a word, simply because the polls say he may gain a few points at the ballot if he does.
Thanks very much, democracy, for setting the table for a totalitarian takeover.
