Contrasting Actions

What the very different reactions to crises in Ukraine and in Israel tell us about the USA as a nation

Image credit: Snopes

In the last two years the USA has been confronted by two external crises: Russia’s third invasion of Ukraine, and Hamas’ recent assault on Israel. The reaction of the USA to each has been dramatically different, and this difference tells us a great deal about the USA’s capacity to act in its own interests and in the interests of its key allies.

Hamas’ recent attacks on Israeli civilians is horrific and utterly pointless from a political perspective. It is also, from the perspective of geopolitics, an extremely minor problem. Readers whose thoughts are entirely dictated by the endless babble of sensation-creating journalists will no doubt shout loudly about the 1,200 Israeli deaths and deny all suggestion that this conflict is both minor and ultimately not a game-changing event. But while all civilian deaths are a war crime and lamentable, we need to remember a few important points. The most important is that tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilians and soldiers have died since Russia launched its multiple invasions of Ukraine, beginning in 2014. Moreover, Israel has a long history of dubious actions, including the support of illegal ultra-orthodox Jewish settlements in territories that are clearly supposed to be…