After Iraq, the U.S. has a 'credibility problem' in Ukraine crisis, Washington Post columnist says
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The thrust of Eugene Robinson's latest column over at The Washington Post is that the invasion of Iraq has left the U.S. with a "credibility problem" in decrying Russia's military intervention in Ukraine. It's a salient point for war doves: By invading a country ostensibly to protect its own interests, Russia is acting much like the U.S. has with its cantankerous, adventurous foreign policy in the Middle East and elsewhere:
Is it just me, or does the rhetoric about the crisis in Ukraine sound as if all of Washington is suffering from amnesia? We're supposed to be shocked — shocked! — that a great military power would cook up a pretext to invade a smaller, weaker nation? I'm sorry, but has everyone forgotten the unfortunate events in Iraq a few years ago.
My sentiments, to be clear, are with the legitimate Ukrainian government, not with the neo-imperialist regime in Russia. But the United States, frankly, has limited standing to insist on absolute respect for the territorial integrity of sovereign states. [The Washington Post]
To be sure, Robinson also condemns Russia's actions, but he suggests America's own intervention-happy foreign policy over the past few decades leaves it with little room to throw stones here. Go give his take a full read.
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Jon Terbush is an associate editor at TheWeek.com covering politics, sports, and other things he finds interesting. He has previously written for Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, and Business Insider.
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