American Foreign Policy toward Eastern Europe
In the election for the American President in 2024, foreign policy and national security in America will become a political football in the wake of President Biden’s bungling of American policy toward Russia. Much of this is self-inflicted due to the Democrat Party's and “Progressive’s” attack on fossil fuels and Europe’s reliance on Russian oil.
What, if not war with Russia over Ukraine, should American policy toward Russia be?
During the thirty-one years since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, hopes by Americans that Russia would become a viable democracy have been shattered and a new Russian autocracy has been fashioned at the head of which is a former KGB officer. Putin’s intentions are to reconstitute a Russian empire that includes recovery of Ukraine and repression of democratic impulses in former Soviet dependent states. The Baltic states in particular are at risk to repressive actions by Russia, and as seen in the case of Georgia, suppression of democratic reforms.
At the heart and soul of American foreign policy toward a new Russian empire, therefore, should be preservation of the independence of a free and democratic Polish nation and as many of the former Soviet satellites who are capable of resisting Russian imperial ambitions.
American policy should seek to protect Poland, the Baltic states, Georgia and Ukraine from Russia’s imperial ambitions without sparking a military conflict.
What should we do to prepare for a series of perilous engagements with Russia?
America’s ability to become energy independent enables the United States to provide natural gas and other fossil fuels to Western Europe and that should have commenced immediately when Russia attacked Ukraine.
America’s nuclear missiles need improvement and nuclear submarine forces should begin frequent patrols to alert Russia of the dangers that could become reality, if a war faction in Russia dominates.
Caution must be exercised when appeals for armaments for Ukraine are expressed, but American Defense and State Department policy should be directed at resisting, by every means except military action, absorption of Ukraine into a new Russian empire.
Military support of Poland should be continued as well as placement of defensive missiles in countries in the region such as Aegis missiles that have been placed in Romania.
An active policy to exclude Belarus from commerce with Western Europe and the United States and Canada should be directed at reforming this last remnant of a Communist dominated Eastern Europe.
And the United States should prepare for the consequences of a possible collapse of the European Union which could occur as European “Progressives” in Brussels attempt to thwart innovative tax policies that place high taxes in most EU nations at a commercial disadvantage.
Finally, if we remember the extensive investment in “Soviet studies” during the Cold War, it may be of value to immediately commission revival of investment in Russian studies including Russian history, language, economics and culture. As of today, there has been little investment in this area since 1991.
