Protect Ukraine with the iron shield of NATO
Every newspaper, conceived in the mainlands of NATO members, have spread the word of once again a possibly imminent Russian threat - Russian troops have been concentrated near the border of Ukraine and in Crimea. So concerning was this Russian enterprise that the European Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States have pledged full support for Ukraine.
According to The Guardian, the Russians' intentions are not clear: for now, it is to be assumed that this is not a fatal threat. If it were, it would expose the severe idiocy of the Russian government. However, in that same Guardian article, Michael Kofman of the CNA corporation said that Russia regularly holds military exercises in the region, but the recent "Russian military deployments appear out of cycle for such exercises, and are not regular troop rotations."
We must be concerned, not anxious. Formidable, not worried. Smart, not erratic. This is one of the many Russian "strongman" pursuits that seek to intimidate Ukraine and scare away the Western nations. The Russian in the past years have supported separatist operations in Ukraine, specifically Donetsk and Luhansk. Now, these two Ukrainian regions are now "independent", when in reality, they are proxy Russian states.
Russia only seeks to rip the entirety Ukraine out of the political hands of Europe, control it as if it was theirs all along. Sanctions from the Western Allies is not enough to tame this bearish beast.
NATO must consider Ukraine's call for membership and accept it with haste. NATO officials, however, told Ukraine that before serious consideration of membership, they need to enact "domestic reforms and develop its defense capabilities in accordance with NATO standards" (The Guardian).
This is response is inappropriate as the Ukrainian economy, ranked low in global economic indexes, and government is suffering from decay and corruption. This suffering is exasperated by the close proximity of the Russians. They must have full fledge assistance and support from Western nations, not mere calls for Russia to ease tensions.
Russia is only an authoritarian nation whose goals are achieved through pure persistence. Only shrewd political maneuvering by the West, not military buildup, must be utilized at any convenient time. Now is a convenient time to have another ally in the ranks of the free.
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