{"id":86676,"date":"2022-03-17T02:17:10","date_gmt":"2022-03-16T20:47:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/centralrecorder.com\/russias-attack-rallies-a-divided-nation-the-united-states\/"},"modified":"2022-03-17T02:17:10","modified_gmt":"2022-03-16T20:47:10","slug":"russias-attack-rallies-a-divided-nation-the-united-states","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/centralrecorder.com\/russias-attack-rallies-a-divided-nation-the-united-states\/","title":{"rendered":"Russia\u2019s Attack Rallies a Divided Nation: The United States"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-g5piaz evys1bk0\">After two years of political divisions and economic disruptions bolstered by an unending pandemic, many Americans say they are coming together around a common cause: support for Ukraine, a country under daily siege by Russian forces.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-g5piaz evys1bk0\">The rare moment of solidarity is driven, in part, by the perception of America as a steadfast global defender of freedom and democracy. Many Americans say they see a lopsided fight pitting a great power against a weaker neighbor. They see relentless images of dead families and collapsed cities. They see Ukraine\u2019s president pleading for help.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-g5piaz evys1bk0\">In polls and interviews since the attack, Americans across the political spectrum said the nation has a duty to respond to President Vladimir V. Putin\u2019s brazen invasion \u2014 even if that means feeling, at least in the short term, the pinch of high gas prices and inflation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-g5piaz evys1bk0\">\u201cI understand we want to stay out of it, but what\u2019s happening is worse than anyone could imagine. We can do without gas when there are children there being killed,\u201d said Danna Bone, a 65-year-old retiree in McMinnville, Ore., and a Republican. \u201cIt\u2019s horrific what\u2019s happening there, and we need to be doing our part. I would like to see them doing more. What that looks like, I really don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-g5piaz evys1bk0\">Yet interviews with more than three dozen Americans from Georgia to California show that, beyond broad consensus that Ukraine deserves support, they are unsettled and even divided on essential questions: How far should America go to defend Ukraine without thrusting the nation into another Cold War? Does the war demand U.S. military involvement?<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-g5piaz evys1bk0\">The Biden administration has imposed an array of painful economic sanctions on Russia and blocked its oil, gas and coal imports. The administration has already approved $1.2 billion in aid to Ukraine, and President Biden is expected to announce another $800 million in military assistance. Three weeks into the invasion, most Americans in both political parties support U.S. aid to Ukraine and overwhelmingly support economic sanctions, <a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pewresearch.org\/politics\/2022\/03\/15\/public-expresses-mixed-views-of-u-s-response-to-russias-invasion-of-ukraine\/\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">a new Pew Research Center survey found.<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"css-g5piaz evys1bk0\">Already, the issue of America\u2019s role in Ukraine is scrambling U.S. politics and reinvigorating the bond between the United States and its European allies.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-g5piaz evys1bk0\">About a third of Americans said the United States is providing the appropriate amount of support to Ukraine, but an even larger share, 42 percent, are in favor of the country doing even more, the Pew survey showed. The same poll found, however, that about two-thirds of Americans do not support military intervention.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-g5piaz evys1bk0\">In pockets across the country, how people saw America\u2019s global might and obligations was often influenced by their own individual circumstances and economic stability. They often drew a line, if a crooked one, between the war and the crises at home. Conversations about Russian strikes and shellshocked refugees fleeing Ukraine quickly gave way to discussion about the personal cost of gas and food, a sputtering economy and the enduring pain of the pandemic, the kind of grievances that might temper support for Ukraine over time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-g5piaz evys1bk0\">North of Detroit, where Macomb and Oakland counties sit side by side but have been <a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" href=\"https:\/\/wdet.org\/2020\/11\/16\/oakland-and-macomb-counties-demonstrate-how-divided-michigan-voters-are-becoming\/\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">moving in opposite political directions <\/a>in recent years \u2014 Macomb to the right, Oakland to the left \u2014 liberals and conservatives are united in a belief that what is happening in Ukraine is wrong and that the United States could be doing more. But they offered divergent opinions on the causes of the war or whether Mr. Biden has been adept at handling the foreign policy crisis.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-g5piaz evys1bk0\">\u201cI call it Russia\u2019s unfinished business,\u201d Roland Benberry Jr., 61, an artist and illustrator, said of the invasion. Mr. Benberry served in the Air Force in the early 1980s when Russia was considered an imminent threat. Thirty years later, he is experiencing d\u00e9j\u00e0 vu. \u201cWe thought we were done with that,\u201d he said. \u201cWe thought the Soviet Union was gone, and it basically just went underground for a while.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-g5piaz evys1bk0\">Mr. Benberry, a Democrat, believes sanctions could be the most powerful and effective tool against Russia, and that the U.S. military should only get involved directly if the Ukrainian military is forced to fall back. He saw Mr. Putin as a lone demagogue acting on his own, against the will of many of his own citizens.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-g5piaz evys1bk0\">Like Mr. Benberry, Natasha Jenkins, 34, a Democrat and a liberal arts student at a community college in Oakland County, said she was willing to tolerate higher gas prices to punish Mr. Putin. But she said she wished the president would also push for higher wages so that people could have an easier time making ends meet. She sees firsthand the impact of America\u2019s economic strains in the grocery store, where she works the night shift as a cashier. Parents complain to her about the expensive prices of produce or the burdens of teaching their children at home amid the pandemic. Some supplies shortages linger, and she can\u2019t keep all the shelves stocked.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-g5piaz evys1bk0\">Ms. Jenkins said she was reluctant to see direct U.S. military involvement in Ukraine. She has several close friends still scarred from America\u2019s wars in the Middle East, she said, and she doesn\u2019t want to see more American soldiers deployed to fight abroad.<\/p>\n<div role=\"complementary\" aria-labelledby=\"storyline-latest-updates\" class=\"css-y1f5ai\">\n<div class=\"css-8atqhb\">\n<div class=\"css-rchdvv\"><time class=\"css-101kej7\" datetime=\"2022-03-16T19:40:58.000Z\"><span>Updated\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"css-1stvlmo\">March 16, 2022, 3:40 p.m. ET<\/span><span class=\"css-kpxlkr\"\/><\/p>\n<p><\/time><span class=\"css-1dv1kvn\" aria-live=\"polite\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"css-g5piaz evys1bk0\">Indeed, for many Americans, the support for Ukraine firmly ends at the doorstep of military intervention. History plays a role. The long-running war and pullout from Afghanistan, along with memories of the first Cold War, has dampened the tolerance for a direct confrontation with Russia.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-g5piaz evys1bk0\">On a suburban street in Macomb County, Kathleen Pate, 75, has helped to organize donated clothing and medication to be sent to Ukraine. Her son and her daughter-in-law, who is from Ukraine, converted their garage into a makeshift donation hub.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-g5piaz evys1bk0\">\u201cThe support is overwhelming,\u201d said Ms. Pate, a Republican who has spent her recent days worrying about Ukrainian families. \u201cI can\u2019t sleep at night. I can\u2019t get it out of mind.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-g5piaz evys1bk0\">She said she supports establishing a no-fly zone over Ukraine and has been unhappy with the U.S. response so far. \u201cI truly believe that it could be doing more to help,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is the humane thing to do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-g5piaz evys1bk0\"><a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" href=\"https:\/\/docs.cdn.yougov.com\/nnyqh3ib1d\/econToplines.pdf\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">An Economist\/YouGov survey <\/a>conducted in early March, showed that the majority of Americans, about 73 percent, sympathized more with Ukraine than Russia. The poll also showed that 68 percent approved of imposing economic sanctions, and slightly less approved of sending financial aid or weapons. But only 20 percent favored sending American troops to fight Russians in Ukraine.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-g5piaz evys1bk0\">Alejandro Tenorio, 24, said sanctions ought to be the primary tool to force Mr. Putin to back down, and maybe motivate the Russian people to act.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-g5piaz evys1bk0\">\u201cI think these political sanctions should continue. Let the people from Russia take matters into their own hands to maybe try to change the government and change their ways,\u201d said Mr. Tenorio, a tech support specialist for a data company who described himself as a \u201cleft-leaning moderate.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-g5piaz evys1bk0\">The Biden administration, said Mr. Tenorio, who lives in Johns Creek, Ga., could be a bit more aggressive, with \u201cmore things to hurt their economy.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-g5piaz evys1bk0\">\u201cI think that should be about it,\u201d he said. \u201cI think Biden is doing as much as he can, or as much as he\u2019s allowed to do.\u201d<\/p>\n<section role=\"complementary\" class=\"css-14gh6yt\" aria-label=\"Russia-Ukraine War: Key Things to Know\">\n<h2 class=\"css-ba3d02\">Russia-Ukraine War: Key Things to Know<\/h2>\n<hr\/>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"css-g5piaz evys1bk0\">Others believe American troops on the ground are a dangerous but necessary response.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-g5piaz evys1bk0\">Dan Cunha is a 74-year-old Vietnam veteran and retired small business owner who lives in Anaheim, Calif. He describes himself as a political independent, and wrote in John Kasich, the Republican former governor of Ohio, in the 2020 election.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-g5piaz evys1bk0\">\u201cIt breaks my heart to see what is happening there now, to see an autocrat rise to power, and we\u2019re not doing anything to stop it,\u201d he said. \u201cHe is nationalist in the extreme. If it were up to me, I would put troops there. Putin is a bully, and bullies need to be slapped back.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-g5piaz evys1bk0\">Mr. Cunha regularly spends time at the local V.F.W. outpost, where most of his friends are what he describes as \u201cdie-hard Republicans,\u201d and said that many argue that the conflict would not have happened at all if Donald J. Trump were still president.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-g5piaz evys1bk0\">\u201cThe majority of the veterans I talk to say the same thing as I do \u2014 boots on the ground,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-g5piaz evys1bk0\">While supportive of Ukraine\u2019s plight, some Middle Eastern refugees and immigrants outside of Detroit said this conflict feels different from those in Afghanistan and Iraq, because the world is paying attention to the suffering of white, European families in a way they felt that it had not with their own.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-g5piaz evys1bk0\">\u201cI grew up watching my country get torn apart, \u201d said Maria, a Syrian college student who asked that her full name not be used for fear of endangering her family still in the country. She emphasized that she felt and understood Ukrainians\u2019 pain, and that she herself had been stunned to see Europeans go to war. But she said she hoped that Americans would realize that this is what life has been like for people in Syria and other Middle Eastern countries for decades.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-g5piaz evys1bk0\">The war feels personal for Maryana Vacarciuc, 24, and her husband, Radion Vacarciuc, 25. The Ukrainian immigrants have been living in the metro Atlanta area with their two children for the last three years, but they still have relatives in Ukraine.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-g5piaz evys1bk0\">Unlike some Ukrainian immigrants who are pressing for greater American involvement, they feel bad about the predicament of their homeland and family members \u2014 and recall the last conflict in 2014 \u2014 but said they recognize the limitations of the U.S. government.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-g5piaz evys1bk0\">\u201cI understand what America\u2019s doing. It doesn\u2019t want to help, not more, because it doesn\u2019t want to get into more of a conflict with Russia,\u201d Ms. Vacarciuc said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-g5piaz evys1bk0\">Her husband added: \u201cBut if America gets too involved, then we might be the ones leaving our kids and going to fight the war,\u201d he said. Asked if America has a role to play in the Ukraine war, he said no.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-g5piaz evys1bk0\">\u201cAmerica is its own country,\u201d he said. \u201cUkraine, Russia, they\u2019re fighting their own battles.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After two years of political divisions and economic disruptions bolstered by an unending pandemic, many Americans say they are coming together around a common cause: support for Ukraine, a country under daily siege by Russian forces. The rare moment of solidarity is driven, in part, by the perception of America as a steadfast global defender [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":51,"featured_media":86677,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,3266],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/centralrecorder.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Russias-Attack-Rallies-a-Divided-Nation-The-United-States.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/centralrecorder.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86676"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/centralrecorder.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/centralrecorder.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/centralrecorder.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/51"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/centralrecorder.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=86676"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/centralrecorder.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86676\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/centralrecorder.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/86677"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/centralrecorder.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=86676"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/centralrecorder.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=86676"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/centralrecorder.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=86676"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}