Ukraine and the 21st Century by Al Sikes

Churchill, Jan. 20, 1940: “Only Finland—superb, nay, sublime in the jaws of peril—Finland shows what free men can do….Everyone can see how Communism rots the soul of a nation; how it makes it abject and hungry in peace, and proves it base and abominable in war.”

America still has the single most valuable 21st-century ally in the world—Ukraine.

Ukraine has had to be both stalwart and entrepreneurial in combating Russian aggression. If, in the aftermath of the attack by Ukraine on Russian military assets, the Trump Administration does not revitalize American support for Ukraine, it will be an irreducible stain. Ukraine has demonstrated the importance of courage and adaptive learning. It represents the biblical story Americans love—David versus Goliath.

My admittedly superficial review of pluses and minuses is not in any way intended to be comprehensive, but a starting point for questions. In other words, the attack by Ukraine on Russia yesterday is an event filled with lessons.

First rank military prowess can be measured by money spent, technology and manufacturing controlled, strategic ground occupied and in my view realism understood. North Korea, for example, has impressive assets but is in a fog of autocratic vanity.

Ukraine has perhaps the leading asset of military strength. It has been fighting a much bigger foe on the terrain of technology transformation. It doesn’t really have an air force unless you count its drone inventory. And most importantly, consider its drone manufacturing prowess and experience-based utilization. And those assets not only count, but are potentially the most important in the rapidly transforming world.

President Trump values Ukraine’s rare earth minerals and apparently we have an agreement for their mutual exploitation. What the President should add to this bargain is the more consequential one—active alliance.

Yes, I understand that Trump doesn’t like Vladimir Zelensky. He even let his spear carrier, Vice-President Vance, dress him down in the White House with the cameras rolling. Historians will note this vain estrangement and I believe will count it as a low point in the Trump administration’s foreign policy.

But now Trump has additional facts for his analysis and I hope a reset. I would simply say to the President, effective leaders are often opportunists and now is your chance to recognize Ukraine as an ally not a nuisance.

America’s greatness is often measured by our international leadership grounded by moral principles.  We should reassert our leadership in a new alliance with Ukraine.  Hoorah for courage and for demonstrating the trajectory of obsolescence of what much of the world still counts as military strength. America has much to learn from Ukraine.

Al Sikes is the former Chair of the Federal Communications Commission under George H.W. Bush. Al writes on themes from his book, Culture Leads Leaders Follow published by Koehler Books.