Skeptical attitudes are more careful, criticism is more moderate
U.S. Representatives United at War... Divided on Ukraine
Nancy Pelosi (right) chats with Republican Senator Lindsey Graham (left) to bridge the gap.
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A large exodus caused by the war on Ukraine.
Reuters
The Russian bombing caused great damage to Ukrainian cities.
Reuters
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There is a long tradition in American politics that Democrats and Republicans unite when a crisis looms abroad, no matter what differences dominate the domestic agenda.
But the threat of war in Ukraine is seriously testing Congress' traditional role as the White House's foreign policy partner, against the backdrop of deep divisions among lawmakers that prevent them from forming a united front.
House Republicans this week attempted to humiliate Democratic President Joe Biden by posting a photo on Twitter of him walking away from the podium after announcing sanctions against Russia.
"This is what a weak position on the international scene looks like," read a comment on the photo.
lack of compatibility
This comment confirms that the old saying “politics stands at the West Bank” has become a relic of a nation that was less divided before the interventions in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and other countries.
Emphasizing the lack of consensus, senators spent a month fruitlessly trying to agree on legislation that would hurt the Russian economy and free up money to bolster Ukraine's defense capabilities.
In the House and Senate, politicians from both groups urged President Joe Biden to take a firm stand on Russian President Vladimir Putin's aggression against Ukraine, a US ally.
But many Republicans tried to seize the opportunity, attacking Biden for being "weak" in the face of the crisis, while at the same time suggesting that the United States not intervene.
It makes us look weak
"Congress is no longer putting aside domestic differences in order to create a strong united front from abroad, and this policy is very bad," Carly Cooperman, an expert on US politics, told AFP.
"It makes us look weak, it strengthens Putin's position, and it hurts our democracy," she added.
Cooperman and co-author Douglas Sean raise the issue of the internal divisions undermining US foreign policy in their latest book, America: Unite or Die.
"It's true that many members of Congress have abandoned their traditional foreign policy roles," Shaun, a campaign consultant whose clients have included Michael Bloomberg and Bill Clinton, told AFP.
"It is a terrible development that harms American democracy and harms our national interests," he added.
While Biden was clear that there would be no American soldiers on the ground in Ukraine, some Republicans took advantage of concerns about a widening European conflict to push back on former President Donald Trump's "America First" slogan.
Even Trump himself - still the de facto Republican leader - praised Putin's "genius" in recognizing two breakaway regions in Ukraine, a move seen as a prelude to invasion.
Ordinary Republicans had expected a strong US presence on the international scene at the Munich Security Conference last weekend, but the "America First" camp pushed for greater isolationism.
"We should call ourselves Ukraine, and then maybe we can get NATO to step in and protect our borders," Arizona Congressman Paul Gosar wrote on Twitter.
Jay D. Vance, author of Hillbilly Eligi, a Trump supporter who is running for a seat in the Ohio Senate, said he was not interested in what was happening in Ukraine.
"What concerns me now is that the main cause of death in my community, for people aged between 18 and 45, is the Mexican substance fentanyl, which is smuggled across the southern border," he said in a video statement.
Putin's courtship
Skeptical attitudes were more cautious and criticism more moderate.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell declared that the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan emboldened Putin, while Lindsey Graham, a Trump ally, though a conservative on foreign policy, accused Biden of "courting" Putin.
In Washington, foreign policy elites tend to be more supportive of America's active role on the international stage than public opinion in general.
But 54% of Americans support Biden's decision to strengthen the eastern front of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), according to a Quinnipiac University poll conducted last week.
By a margin of about two to one, respondents said Russia poses a military threat to the United States.
On the Democratic side, criticism of the White House has been moderate, and questions about the administration's response to the crisis in Ukraine are less severe.
On Wednesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi raised questions she said her members were asking, including the role of US forces in Eastern Europe.
"One of the challenges we face is getting to an agreement on what the president can do," she said.
What is the framework?
What is geography?
What is the timeline for all of this?”
"It was often controversial," she added.
• Many Republicans tried to take advantage of the opportunity and attacked Biden for being "weak" in the face of the crisis, while at the same time suggesting that the United States should not interfere.
Emphasizing the lack of consensus, senators spent a month fruitlessly trying to agree on legislation that would hurt the Russian economy and free up money to support Ukraine's defense capabilities.
• 54% of Americans support Biden's decision to strengthen the eastern front of NATO.
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