In a recent conversation in which I pointed out that the war in Ukraine was a contest between the first and second most corrupt governments in Europe, the other participant retorted, “So?”
In WW II we sided with the Soviet Union against Germany, despite knowing what evil creatures they were because the Nazis were the greater evil at the moment. Here, Putin is the greater evil, by far.”
This statement is an excellent encapsulation of a widely held belief about American involvement in WWII. Moreover, this opinion is quite a testament to the truth of the assertion that the winners write history and an excellent example of manufacturing consent.
The following is the historical record of US support for the Soviets during WWII:
We want to thank Kevin P. Tyson for this Op-Ed.
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- 23 August 1939: Nazi-Soviet non-aggression pact
- 1 September 1939: Nazi invasion of Poland
- 17 September 1939: Soviet invasion of Poland
- October 1940: FDR states, “Your boys are not going to be sent into any foreign wars!” to a crowd that responded rapturously
- 22 June 1941: Nazi invasion of the Soviets
- 11 December 1941: American declaration of war on Germany
One need not be a world-ranked épée fencer to wield Occam’s razor with sufficient skill to see that the only operative moral calculation was, my enemy’s enemy is my friend. And when it comes to actual moral judgments, the performance of Churchill and FDR at the Tehran and Yalta conferences reveal quite rusted moral compasses.
Six years after Britain went to war to preserve the independence of Poland, they blithely condemned Poland to a half-century of Soviet tyranny.
But what of contemporary moral calculations? As revealed by the Panama Papers, Zelensky and his cronies control offshore assets worth tens of millions of dollars. Will any of these be liquidated to support the 100,000 Ukrainian refugees heading to America?
Will they at least fund the knee pads required by our political and cultural elites during Zelensky’s next visit? Or are they counting on the seemingly limitless willingness of American taxpayers to borrow money from China?