Jacob Heilbrunn

Springtime for liberal interventionists

A showdown with Russia is exactly what Biden wants and Nato needs

(Getty)

It’s springtime for liberal interventionism. Russian President Vladimir Putin may not have intended it, but he is doing a good job of revitalising Nato. The organisation was faltering only a few years ago. Now, by threatening Ukraine, Putin is probably extending its lifespan by several more decades, a feat that even the most ardent Atlanticists in Washington could not have accomplished on their lonesome.

Recall that after the Iraq war, realism was in vogue. The talk was about restraint and realism, national interests and sobriety. President Donald Trump inveighed against the chiselers in Europe who were free-riding off of American largesse. President Joe Biden pulled out of Afghanistan.

And now? Biden is sending arms to Ukraine. Several thousand troops may be sent to Europe as well. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is requesting an all-members briefing on Ukraine for what The Hill calls ‘a rare bipartisan point among lawmakers’. The laggard Germany, which retains vivid memories of its last incursion into die Ukraine, is being pilloried by the pundit class for failing to stand up to Putin.

For Biden a new confrontation with the Kremlin could be just what the doctor ordered

Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is loving it: ‘I welcome allies contributing additional forces to Nato,’ he said. ‘Nato will continue to take all necessary measures to protect and defend all allies, including by reinforcing the eastern part of the alliance. We will always respond to any deterioration of our security environment, including through strengthening our collective defence.’ The Kremlin is denouncing it all as ‘hysteria’.

But for Biden a new confrontation with the Kremlin could be just what the doctor ordered, revive his ailing presidency. For one thing, it would polish his reputation in Washington, where the regnant elites have been pining for a new Cold War ever since the old one ended.

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