Like Matt, I don't have any principled opposition to Ukrainian membership in NATO. It will irritate the Russians, yes, but I don't have a terrible lot of sympathy for Russia on this point; making it more difficult for Russia to intimidate its neighbors seems, on balance, like a good thing. It also seems as if NATO membership does have a real stabilizing influence on domestic political arrangements. I'm less interested in Georgia, in large part because "frozen conflicts" in Abkhazia and South Ossetia that risk putting Georgian and Russian forces in the field against one another.
On the other hand Ukranians, as opposed to a substantial segment of their political elite, don't seem terribly enthusiastic about NATO membership. NATO membership would have genuine costs for Ukraine, in terms both of Ukraine's relationship with Russia and Ukrainian military transformation. Like Poland, Ukraine has virtually bankrupted its military transformation process through participation in Iraq. Things have gotten better since the withdrawal, but membership in NATO wouldn't necessarily make things easier for Ukraine.
Dan Nexon does make a good point, however; how can President Bush claim that NATO is no longer in the business of defending against Russia, while at the same time claim that Ukraine and Georgia need to join so that they can remain sovereign and independent? Who, besides Russia, is threatening the sovereignty and independence of these two states? Dan suggests that robots might be the problem, but I'd still like further clarification from the President.
--Robert Farley
