Thanks for printing Marc Thiessen’s column (“The secret of Ukraine aid,” The Columbian, Dec. 9) from The Washington Post. It uncovers the mystery of the Ukrainian stalemate war. Thiessen points out in great specific details that the true beneficiary of the billions of our foreign aid is the U.S. armament industry and U.S. economy.
According to Thiessen, a majority of the billions allocated to the Ukraine is gobbled up by the U.S. armament industry that produces the bullets and tanks for the Ukraine. He applauds, “Our military aid to Ukraine is revitalizing manufacturing communities across the United States, creating good jobs.” Thiessen tells us our aid for war is good for our economy. Wow!
A little-known fact is that President George H.W. Bush and Mikhail Gorbachev made a deal in 1990 as the Soviet Union collapsed, promising that the U.S. would not disturb the Warsaw Pact in exchange that East Germany could rejoin West Germany. The Cold War ended and our armament industry saw a 50 percent loss in its market. Peace does not need weapons. The armament industry lobbied our government and NATO went into Eastern Europe.
For a history of the U.S. armament industry and deal with the former Soviet Union, read “The Spoils of War” by Andrew Cockburn.
