Ukraine crisis drags on, Americans begin to suffer 'Ukraine fatigue'

Editor's note: William Jones, a special commentator on current affairs for CGTN, was the White House correspondent for EIR News Service and is a non-resident fellow of the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

The expose in Time Magazine entitled "The Lonely Fight of Volodymyr Zelenskyy" reveals the real truth of how the American people are now suffering "Ukraine fatigue" after two years of continual fighting and no sign of victory for Ukraine. Enthusiasm for "the Ukraine cause" among Americans has always been rather lame. Even those who didn't really fully grasp how that country was being used as a convenient "pawn" by NATO to wage a proxy war against Russia, had little interest in pouring billions into military hardware for Ukraine. 

As the Time Magazine story indicates, even congressmen have begun to tire of the empty rhetoric of victory that the Ukrainian president has been spewing forth. In addition, not even a dent can be made in the dire economic realities facing most Americans on the streets, in the schools, or in their homes, as so many billions of dollars were disappearing, allegedly, into the coffers, of the Ukrainian military effort; but even this cannot be fully substantiated, given the lack of transparency.

The Ukrainian leader, who had been praised to the high heavens on his visit to Washington at the end of last year, and gave a rousing speech to a joint session of Congress, had no such luck when he visited the capital in September. There was no speech to the joint session, and even major interviews with Fox News or with Oprah did not come off. Some of his supporters had even told him that this was not a good time to visit.

That same Time Magazine article also goes after the rampant corruption in the Ukrainian government apparatus, something which has been widely known by Ukraine watchers, but has been hidden from the general public by the "happy talk" of the mainstream media. The article also indicates that this is not a problem that can be solved simply by the elimination of certain officials, but is endemic to the structure of government in the country.

The mass media has, of course, followed suit in the narrative laid out by the political establishment, but even they have had difficulty in explaining the total lack of progress in the much-touted Ukrainian "counteroffensive." Only the determination of the Joe Biden administration and NATO to inflict a significant defeat on the Russian military through their Ukrainian surrogates has kept the issue of support to Ukraine on the table in Washington. Yet, the U.S. Congress, which is usually in lock-step with the administration when it comes to supporting America at war, albeit vicariously, is now fairly divided over the issue of money to Ukraine, truly reflecting the even greater division among the American public.

The recent conflict in the Middle East has also thrown a monkey wrench into the well-oiled war machine of the U.S. While the Israeli lobby in Washington has a lot more clout than Ukraine, it's unlikely that Ukraine will prevail if there is a trade-off in the two support packages.

The uncontrolled bombing by the state of Israel of tightly populated areas in the Gaza strip, which has resulted in thousands of casualties over a period of days, including thousands of children, has caused a rip-tide of protest throughout the nation. Even some major Jewish groups in the U.S., filled with horror over the scenes coming out of Gaza, showed their disagreement with the Netanyahu regime and took to the streets – and to the halls of the U.S. Congress.

In a dramatic manner, the child casualties in Gaza, have brought to the fore the ugly face of U.S. policy, not only in the Middle East but also in the heart of Europe. The absence of any strong and vocal peace movement in America, which can counter this insanity, is about to change. The ugly face of the U.S. military-industrial complex has been revealed in the massive bombing of Palestinian neighborhoods.

While the Biden administration is now bending over backwards to convince Congress that they must pass a $105 billion defense bill which combines both aid to Ukraine and to Israel, there is little chance that they will prevail. When the two bills are separated, the portion that goes to Israel will probably pass the Congress, but some commentators think the Ukraine bill may not. People have grown weary over the sums of money now being poured into wars. This "phase-change" among the American public could pose a serious impediment to an administration which relies on its war machine to maintain its prestige.

As public outrage grows over the blatant violations of human rights in Gaza, the Biden administration may have to find a new approach to maintain its support in the upcoming elections.

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