Insane in the Ukraine

By Bill Maher

Secretary of State John Kerry visited Kiev last week to discuss providing arms to military forces in Ukraine. Since the start of the conflict the US has only provided non-lethal aid to Ukraine, but The New York Times reports that Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is for sending defensive weapons, like anti-armor missiles, reconnaissance drones, Humvees, body armor, night-vision goggles, first aid kits and radars that can locate enemy fire. President Obama has yet to make his decision. But I say let’s not and say we did. When is America going to learn to stop wasting our resources fighting other countries’ wars? 

The question isn’t will these weapons end up in the wrong hands? It’s when will these weapons end up in the wrong hands? The CIA program to arm “moderate” rebels in the Syrian civil war seems to have backfired, as many had originally feared. The Wall Street Journal reports that entire CIA-backed rebel units, fighters numbering in the “low hundreds” who went through US training, have changed sides and joined forces with ISIS, quit the fight or gone missing. And let’s not forget the debacle that was arming and training the Iraqi army. America must lose its “Give War A Chance” mentality.

Don’t let the recent victory over ISIS by the Kurds at Kobani with the help of US air power sway your opinion. The Kurds, unlike the Syrians and Iraqis, were already organized, had clear and realistic goals and a good working relationship with the US. US interference in Ukraine could raise the risks of an all out Russian offensive. Hell, even German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said Germany will not provide weapons to Ukraine and that she supports a diplomatic solution to the conflict. Clearly it’s time to rethink America’s foreign policy when the country that started both world wars wants to sit this one out.