Don’t fall for the Zelensky distraction. Blame Congress for Ukraine policy
Ian Haworth
The dark art of politics has always revolved around one simple strategy: Distract the population from your actions with something or, even better, someone.
This something or someone can become the face of an issue, with this scapegoat fairly or unfairly used to soak up the oxygen in the room, taking on the population’s collective resentment and anger. Meanwhile, as we’re looking over there, politicians continue to get away with murder over here.
CONGRESS ESTABLISHED ELECTION DAY. COURTS NEED TO ENSURE IT DOESN’T BECOME ELECTION MONTH
Add in our generation’s obsessive belief that every political and cultural issue, except for gender, apparently, is binary, meaning that every partisan battle can be distilled down to good and bad, and today’s elite can divert our attention without any effort.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is perhaps the ultimate example of this strategy of distraction.
In the months and years that have followed since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the celebrity-turned-politician has obviously emerged as one of the people at the forefront of the conflict. Donning his somewhat ridiculous military-esque green outfit, he is routinely seen traveling the world while world leaders throw everything but the kitchen sink into his war chest, even demanding membership in organizations such as NATO.
In the United States, Zelensky has become either a hero or a villain, usually depending on your political affiliation. For those who think he’s a villain, their criticism understandably surrounds the sheer scale of the financial and military support being sent to Ukraine. Every time Zelensky receives billions of dollars or another aid package or war-crime-inducing cluster bombs, he becomes the target of those who stand in opposition. This is fueled even further by media figures and commentators who churn out pithy tweets and viral memes to capitalize on the fact that Zelensky has become the main target of that criticism.
Except, he shouldn’t be.
This isn’t to say that Zelensky is blameless or undeserving of specific criticism for his positions or behavior. But Zelensky has been wrongly used as a scapegoat by American politicians to absolve themselves of their responsibility.
Let’s not forget: Zelensky is not American. He’s Ukrainian. Moreover, he is the president of Ukraine, meaning that his duty is to do everything he can to further Ukrainian interests. Given that Ukraine is already at war, bringing in more supplies or cash or risking World War III by working to bring NATO, and therefore the United States military, into the fray holds no downsides for Ukraine.
For some reason, we are blaming Zelensky for doing things that are in the interests of his own country.
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Yes, we should be angry that we are funding an endless conflict. We should be angry that Ukraine might become a NATO member. We should be angry that we are endangering civilians by providing dangerous non-defensive weapons.
But don’t be angry that Zelensky is doing what’s best for Ukraine. Don’t fall for the distraction. Be angry that our elected officials, including President Joe Biden and the entire U.S. Congress, are failing to do what is best for America.
Ian Haworth (@ighaworth) is the host of Off Limits with Ian Haworth. You can also find him on Substack.