Lindsey Graham (SC-R), long considered one of the US Senate’s foremost advocates of a muscular US foreign policy, raised eyebrows this week when he repeatedly voted against lethal aid for Ukraine and Israel.
Observers were surprised by the South Carolina lawmaker’s about-face on the issue given Graham was one of the lead negotiators on the compromise bill. Amidst concern over large numbers of migrants at the US’ southern border, grassroots conservatives have repeatedly argued that immigration reform is a more pressing concern than continued funding for foreign allies.
Lengthy discussions ensued early this year, wherein Graham worked with a bipartisan group of Senators to address border security concerns as part of the evolving foreign aid package. But in recent days, election year politics have apparently derailed the compromise legislation, with Trump-aligned Republicans seeking to deny Biden a perceived legislative victory with the passage of long-sought immigration reform.
But beyond the fickle vagaries of US politics another dynamic is at play, as even foreign policy “hawks” like Graham have come to realize that Ukraine’s US-backed proxy war against Russia has failed.
The effort’s defeat on the battlefield has long been apparent, with last year’s vaunted Ukrainian “counteroffensive” in the Donbas failing to make headway against Russian forces. Even US media outlets have struggled to positively portray the Ukrainian military’s declining fortunes.
But more recently, the US proxy conflict has suffered political failure as well.
“I talked to President [Donald] Trump today and he’s dead set against this [foreign aid] package,” Graham explained Sunday. “He thinks that we should make packages like this a loan, not a gift.”
The capitulation of Graham, who less than a year ago insisted US President Joe Biden should redouble efforts to assist embattled Ukrainian President Voloydymyr Zelensky during a visit to Kiev, suggests a seismic shift is underway concerning US support for Ukraine, and perhaps US foreign policy as a whole.
Former President Trump rode to victory in 2016 in part on his “America First” platform promising a focus on domestic concerns rather than foreign wars. Trump harshly criticized the Republican-led Iraq War, even amidst sharp criticism from the GOP establishment and mainstream US media. Amidst weariness over the US’ years-long military engagement in the Middle East, the message resounded with voters.
Now, as Democratic President Joe Biden presides over US-backed conflicts in Ukraine and Israel, anti-war sentiment has again coalesced behind Trump’s MAGA movement.
“Going against Trump [on Ukraine funding] right now is a death sentence,” remarked one anonymous Republican lawmaker, emphasizing the political shift within the grassroots of the party against support for Kiev. The new conservative foreign policy paradigm has threatened to undermine NATO as well, with Trump insisting European countries should contribute more of their own funds towards the US-led military alliance.
But American neoconservatives are not the only ones facing political rejection recently. President Zelensky faces his own crisis, with prominent figures inside and outside of his government signaling increasing opposition to his failing war effort. Observers speculate a palace coup is imminent as the Ukrainian leader scrambles to remove opposition within his cabinet.
The Washington Post’s displeasure over Senator Graham’s political change of heart is not surprising, given the outlet’s owner Jeff Bezos is one of the US Central Intelligence Agency’s largest contractors. But with even Graham apparently recognizing that Russia’s victory is only a matter of time, Langley may face few options beyond scolding lawmakers through its media mouthpieces.
Republicans, meanwhile, seem ready to run against President Biden amidst crises at both the US’ southern border and in Kiev.