•  
  •  
 

Abstract

The 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine has led to a concerted international effort, with the United States at the forefront, to provide assistance in the form of weaponry and logistical support to the embattled country. While no soldiers are deployed to the front line in an official capacity, the U.S. has provided aid through many security assistance programs dating back to 2014 without becoming an active participant in the conflict, drawing parallels between Ukrainian defense and American national interests in the process. There is a realist element to this approach by maximizing U.S. interests against Russia with minimal costs, but there is also a liberal element by the invocation of moral arguments in order to maintain voter approval to continue providing aid. The paper explores this hypothesis on the simultaneous, but distinctive, use of realist and liberal approaches in U.S. military aid to Ukraine by examining publicly available data on U.S. foreign assistance and survey results. The analysis contributes to a renewed understanding of U.S. foreign policy in the contemporary era and its response to national security threats without the immediate use of kinetic military action, in addition to furthering the literature on public opinion and foreign aid.

Bahasa Abstract

Serangan Rusia terhadap Ukraina di tahun 2022 telah mengarah ke upaya internasional, yang dipimpin oleh Amerika Serikat, untuk memberi bantuan dalam bentuk dukungan persenjataan dan logistik ke negara yang terpojokkan tersebut. Walau tidak menerjunkan pasukan dalam kapasitas resmi, A.S. telah memberi bantuan melalui berbagai program asistensi keamanan sejak tahun 2014 tanpa menjadi partisipan aktif dalam konflik, dalam prosesnya menggambarkan kesamaan antara pertahanan Ukraina dengan kepentingan nasional A.S. Terdapat elemen realis dalam keterlibatan A.S. denga memaksimalkan kepentingan A.S. melawan Rusia dengan kerugian rendah, tetapi ada pula elemen liberal dengan terbawanya argument moral untuk mempertahankan opini public untuk terus memberikan bantuan. Artikel ini mengeksplorasi hipotesis bahwa A.S. menggunakan pendekatan realis dan liberal secara bersamaan, namun tetap unik, dalam memberi bantuan militer kepada Ukraina dengan memeriksa data bantuan luar negeri A.S. dan hasil survey publik. Analisis dalam tulisan ini berkontribusi ke pemahaman baru terkait kebijakan luar negeri A.S. di era kontemporer dan respons terhadap ancaman keamanan nasional tanpa langsung menggunakan tindakan militer. Terlebih lagi, tulisan ini hendak memajukan literatur mengenai opini publik dan bantuan luar negeri.

References

Abbott, A., & Jones, P. (2021). The cyclicality of government foreign-aid expenditure: Voter awareness in “good” times and in “bad.” Public Choice, 186(1), 97–117. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11127-019-00757-6

Aldrich, J. H., Gelpi, C., Feaver, P., Reifler, J., & Sharp, K. T. (2006). Foreign Policy and the Electoral Connection. Annual Review of Political Science, 9(1), 477–502. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.polisci.9.111605.105008

Alesina, A., & Dollar, D. (2000). Who Gives Foreign Aid to Whom and Why? Journal of Economic Growth, 5(1), 33–63. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009874203400

Amiri, F., & Freking, K. (2022). McCarthy: No “blank check” for Ukraine if GOP wins majority. AP NEWS. https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-donald-trump-humanitarian-assistance-congress-c47a255738cd13576aa4d238ec076f4a

Arabia, C. L., Bowen, A. S., & Welt, C. (2023). U.S. Security Assistance to Ukraine. Congressional Research Service. https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IF/IF12040

Baum, M. A., & Potter, P. B. K. (2008). The Relationships Between Mass Media, Public Opinion, and Foreign Policy: Toward a Theoretical Synthesis. Annual Review of Political Science, 11(1), 39–65. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.polisci.11.060406.214132

Bearce, D. H., & Tirone, D. C. (2010). Foreign Aid Effectiveness and the Strategic Goals of Donor Governments. The Journal of Politics, 72(3), 837–851. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022381610000204

Bermeo, S. B. (2017). Aid Allocation and Targeted Development in an Increasingly Connected World. International Organization, 71(4), 735–766. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0020818317000315

Cavari, A., & Freedman, G. (2019). Partisan Cues and Opinion Formation on Foreign Policy. American Politics Research, 47(1), 29–57. https://doi.org/10.1177/1532673X17745632

Christiansen, W., Heinrich, T., & Peterson, T. M. (2019). Foreign policy begins at home: The local origin of support for US democracy promotion. International Interactions, 45(4), 595–616. https://doi.org/10.1080/03050629.2019.1610748

Cohen, R. S., & Gentile, G. (2023). The Myth of America’s Ukraine Fatigue. https://www.rand.org/blog/2023/01/the-myth-of-americas-ukraine-fatigue.html

Cordesman, A. H. (2022, November 21). United States Aid to Ukraine: An Investment Whose Benefits Greatly Exceed its Cost. https://www.csis.org/analysis/united-states-aid-ukraine-investment-whose-benefits-greatly-exceed-its-cost

Dasandi, N., Fisher, J., Hudson, D., & vanHeerde-Hudson, J. (2022). Human Rights Violations, Political Conditionality and Public Attitudes to Foreign Aid: Evidence from Survey Experiments. Political Studies, 70(3), 603–623. https://doi.org/10.1177/0032321720980895

DSCA Handbook for Foreign Assistance Act (FAA) Drawdown of Defense Articles and Services. (2004). Department of Defense Security Cooperation Agency. https://www.dsca.mil/sites/default/files/drawdown_handbook_2004b.pdf

Dunn, A. (2023). As Russian invasion nears one-year mark, partisans grow further apart on U.S. support for Ukraine. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2023/01/31/as-russian-invasion-nears-one-year-mark-partisans-grow-further-apart-on-u-s-support-for-ukraine/

Eichenberg, R. C., & Stoll, R. J. (2017). The Acceptability of War and Support for Defense Spending: Evidence from Fourteen Democracies, 2004–2013. Journal of Conflict Resolution, 61(4), 788–813. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022002715600760

Garamone, J. (2023). Harris Emphasizes Moral, Strategic Importance of Support to Ukraine. U.S. Department of Defense News. https://www.defense.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/3302594/harris-emphasizes-moral-strategic-importance-of-support-to-ukraine/

Goldman, D. (2023). What Is America’s Strategic Interest In Ukraine? Hoover Institution. https://www.hoover.org/research/what-americas-strategic-interest-ukraine

Gries, P. H. (2016). Liberals, Conservatives, and Latin America: How Ideology Divides Americans over Immigration and Foreign Aid. Latin American Research Review, 51(3), 23–46. https://doi.org/10.1353/lar.2016.0032

Hattori, T. (2001). Reconceptualizing Foreign Aid. Review of International Political Economy, 8(4), 633–660. https://doi.org/10.1080/09692290110077610

Heinrich, T., Kobayashi, Y., & Long, L. (2018). Voters Get What They Want (When They Pay Attention): Human Rights, Policy Benefits, and Foreign Aid. International Studies Quarterly, 62(1), 195–207. https://doi.org/10.1093/isq/sqx081

Heinrich, T., Kobayashi, Y., & Peterson, T. M. (2017). Sanction Consequences and Citizen Support: A Survey Experiment. International Studies Quarterly, 61(1), 98–106. https://doi.org/10.1093/isq/sqw019

Ian Bond, D. C. (2014). The Greatest Challenge to U.S.-European Security Cooperation Today: The Ukraine Crisis [Text]. The National Interest. https://nationalinterest.org/feature/the-greatest-challenge-us-european-security-cooperation-11803

Kersting, E., & Kilby, C. (2021). Do domestic politics shape U.S. influence in the World Bank? The Review of International Organizations, 16(1), 29–58. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11558-018-9321-8

Kertzer, J. D., & Zeitzoff, T. (2017). A Bottom-Up Theory of Public Opinion about Foreign Policy. American Journal of Political Science, 61(3), 543–558. https://doi.org/10.1111/ajps.12314

Masters, J. (2023). Ukraine: Conflict at the Crossroads of Europe and Russia [Text]. Council on Foreign Relations. https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/ukraine-conflict-crossroads-europe-and-russia

McLean, E. V., & Whang, T. (2014). Designing foreign policy: Voters, special interest groups, and economic sanctions. Journal of Peace Research, 51(5), 589–602. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022343314533811

Security Assistance Monitor. (2023). Center for International Policy. https://securityassistance.org/databases-2/

Smith, S., Hadfield, A., & Dunne, T. (Eds.). (2016). Foreign policy: Theories, actors, cases (Third edition). Oxford University Press.

U.S. Assistance to Ukraine since February 2014. (2016). White House. https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2016/06/15/fact-sheet-us-assistance-ukraine-february-2014

U.S. Security Cooperation with Ukraine. (2023). United States Department of State. https://www.state.gov/u-s-security-cooperation-with-ukraine/

United States 117th Congress. (2022a, March 15). Public law 117–103 Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022. https://www.congress.gov/117/plaws/publ103/PLAW-117publ103.pdf

United States 117th Congress. (2022b, May 21). Public law 117–128 Additional Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2022. https://www.congress.gov/117/plaws/publ128/PLAW-117publ128.pdf

United States 117th Congress. (2022c, September 30). Public Law 117-180 Continuing appropriations and Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2023. https://www.congress.gov/117/plaws/publ180/PLAW-117publ180.pdf

United States 117th Congress. (2022d, December 29). H.R.2617 Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023. https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/2617

United with Ukraine. (2022). United States Department of State. https://www.state.gov/united-with-ukraine/

Download

Share

COinS
 
 

To view the content in your browser, please download Adobe Reader or, alternately,
you may Download the file to your hard drive.

NOTE: The latest versions of Adobe Reader do not support viewing PDF files within Firefox on Mac OS and if you are using a modern (Intel) Mac, there is no official plugin for viewing PDF files within the browser window.