With your logic, Russia is also acting in a defensive manner.
Russia absolutely has reason to not want Ukraine to join NATO. I'm not condoning the invasion, but I say it absolutely makes sense for Russia to carry it out. Not a reason to commit war crimes, or to cause any more suffering than necessary, but from a national security perspective it makes sense to want to disrupt the process of Ukraine joining NATO.
A former Russian foreign minister has labeled NATO "free-of-charge security" for Russia, because NATO membership requirements turn a country into a stable and predictable place. The best neighbors Russia has are in NATO, and much of that stability is directly attributable to their membership.
Wouldn’t you do that to protect your family and your home, now and into generations? I think I know the answer.
- Iraq (Gulf War): 75-80%
- Iraq (2003): 65-76%
- Syria: 35-50%
- Vietnam: 65-75%
- Iran: 42%
Alexander Hamilton wrote that governance should involve people with “wisdom to discern” and “virtue to pursue the common good”. The US is not a direct democracy; it is a constitutional republic. The definition of what constitutes American interests is literally whatever the United States federal government says it is.
SOURCES:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraq_War
- https://news.gallup.com/poll/8212/only-americans-believe-war...
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_domestic_reactions_to_the_2...
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opposition_to_United_States_in...
- https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/04/01/iran-war-...
