DOUGLAS MURRAY MISREADS MAGA’S UKRAINE STANCE:

Murray spends much of this time whistling past the graveyard, obliquely conceding but never dwelling on the sources of populist discontent. He laments that the infamous Trump-Zelensky phone call that led to the first Trump impeachment created in the populist consciousness a sense “that Ukraine was simply a corrupt country” which was full of “‘literal’ Nazis” and “which had enriched and cooperated with its own political opponents.” Unfortunately for Murray, there are large measures of truth to those charges. Ukraine has consistently been ranked as one of Europe’s most corrupt countries (behind only Russia). Its military does have among its ranks far-right militias that proudly display Nazi regalia. And, yes, Ukraine’s patrons in the United States, such as NGOs and arms manufacturers, benefit from American aid.

As unsettling as these facts are, their validity does not change because they are narratively inconvenient or because populist opponents dwell on them. They have, however, provided additional rhetorical ammunition to populists who also cite the corrupt nature of American clients during the Global War on Terror, the U.S. government’s propensity to arm extremists during that conflict, and burgeoning congressional stock portfolios as notable parallels. Populists, like many Americans, have noticed a pattern here.

Murray attempts to elide these charges with a classic false choice presented to observers of a foreign war: Excusing the excesses of an alleged ally by juxtaposing them with those of an even worse aggressor. Murray asks, “Think Ukraine is cruel in forcing draft dodgers into the army? Consider Putin’s army recruitment processes. Dislike Zelensky for not holding an election during a total war? Have you noticed Putin’s electoral habits?”

The beauty of America First is that one does not have to choose between either side. Perhaps this is the real source of Murray’s torment.

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