Opinion: Ukraine conflict and the world order

The war in Ukraine has been raging for two-and-a-half years. Now that President Joe Biden (who was instrumental in sending about $60 billion to resistance efforts) has bowed out of the 2024 presidential campaign, the question is whether his successor will continue to support the East European nation at the same level.

Throughout history, war has had catastrophic consequences and, often, long-term effects on the relations among nations. As Jill Lawless points out in an article for the Associated Press (AP), “Beyond Ukraine’s borders, the invasion shattered European security, redrew nations’ relations with one another, and frayed a tightly-woven global economy.”

Alliances

From its inception, the United States has formed alliances with various countries in conducting most of its wars. Our conflict in the eighteenth century was initially a “civil war” within the empire of Great Britain. But as hostilities escalated, we formed alliances with Spain and France, the latter being not so much pro-American as anti-British. It was another example of the adage: The enemy of my enemy is my friend.