The New York Times editorial “The War in Ukraine is Getting Complicated, and America Isn’t Ready” reveals severe internal and external disagreements inside and between the White House and intelligence agencies during NATO’s war against Russia.
The Times expresses concerns about the war’s “extraordinary costs and serious dangers,” and states “there are many questions that President Biden has yet to answer for the American public about the continued involvement of the United States in this conflict.”
For the last three months, the newspaper has incited pro-war and anti-Russia hysteria. But it now writes that it is not “in America’s best interest to plunge into an all-out war with Russia, even if a negotiated peace may require Ukraine to make some hard decisions.”
The Times’ message to the Ukrainian regime is a gloomy one: “If the conflict does lead to real negotiations, it will be Ukrainian leaders who will have to make the painful territorial decisions that any compromise will demand.”
The editorial continues: “Mr. Biden should also make it clear to President Volodymyr Zelensky and his people that there is a limit to how far the United States and NATO will go to confront Russia, and limits to the arms, money, and political support they can muster. The Ukrainian government’s decisions must be based on a realistic assessment of its means and how much more destruction Ukraine can sustain.”
Finally, it what is a call for Biden to reconsider his immediate objectives, the Times writes: “The challenge now is to shake off the euphoria, stop the taunting and focus on defining and completing the mission.”
What has caused this noticeable shift? At work, there are various aspects to consider. First, the setback in Mariupol appears to be of considerably larger military consequence than the Biden administration has admitted, casting doubt on the possibility of a Ukrainian triumph.
Second, the war’s devastating international and local economic implications are becoming more apparent. Inflation is out of control, financial markets are being battered, and a catastrophic recession is imminent.
