Russia Ukraine Conflict: What Have We Bargained for? | National Review

Russia Ukraine Conflict: What Have We Bargained for? | National Review - By MICHAEL BRENDAN DOUGHERTY

"The dangers of the conflict are much greater than hawks would have us believe.

...Crippling a rival military is only worthwhile when you have a strategic reason for doing so, and we conspicuously lack one. 

• The NATO alliance’s duties have been radically expanded with no radical expansion in the share of the alliance’s burdens shouldered by Europe. 
• Ukraine’s ultra-nationalist project is at odds with the democratic and liberal-internationalist values that are used to sell the conflict abroad. 
• The conflict’s financial and moral costs to the U.S. have been growing for nearly a decade, and taking on Ukraine as a permanent dependent will grow them even more. 
• The arc of the conflict is just as likely to encourage as to discourage Xi in his pursuit of Taiwan, given the ways in which our enmeshment in Europe will deplete our attention, resources, and will to be the world’s cop...