Russell A. Berman
Ukraine and Israel are both embroiled in wars to defend their national sovereignties. Each has its own distinct set of historical, political, and military strategic challenges and unique national interests. Yet, each is simultaneously an important concern for American foreign policy because both countries depend on American support, and, most importantly, they each face an American adversary. Fighting to regain its territorial integrity, Ukraine confronts America’s rival Russia, while Israel is battling the proxy forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, where anti-Americanism is in the DNA of the regime.
From the standpoint of U.S. national interest, Ukraine and Gaza are two fronts of a single war in which the loose coalition of Russia, Iran, China, and North Korea hopes to degrade American power. Yet, in recent weeks, an asymmetry has crept into American policy regarding these two fronts. Until now, the Biden administration has tried to prevent Ukraine from taking escalatory steps that might provoke Russia, thereby willingly accepting Moscow’s red lines. However, a shift emerged when, on Secretary Bliniken’s recent visit to Kyiv, he suggested that Ukraine should be permitted to use American weapons to strike inside Russia in order to undercut supply lines to the front.
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