Biden’s statement that “the world” stands by America’s side with Ukraine adds a bit of cheek. Looking at global opinion polling as well as who is really sanctioning Russia, it’s NATO, the Anglosphere, and some key American allies that are backing Ukraine. The rest of the planet is either neutral or on Russia’s side. Today “the world” supports Ukraine like “the world” backed invading Iraq and deposing Saddam Hussein exactly two decades ago.
However, America’s unilateral moment of “hyperpower” has passed, pushed along in no small way by the debacle of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM that was launched 20 years ago, and for the strategically savvy the Ukraine war appears increasingly like a sideshow rather than the main event, which is unfolding in East Asia. The most significant development is Beijing’s overt signaling that it is on Russia’s side in the struggle over Ukraine – and the Chinese Communists don’t care what anybody, including America, thinks about that.
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