However, I believe he has conflated our domestic southern border with the borders of Ukraine in a manner that borders on the demagogic. In other words, whether or not the United States defends our southern border has absolutely nothing to do in logic with supporting or failing to support the people of Ukraine.
That we enforce the border with Mexico does not mean that we should defend Ukraine's border. If we fail to enforce the border with Mexico does not mean that we should fail to support the people of Ukraine. We can do one and not the other, we can do both, or we can do neither without one compelling the other.
In conflating the Mexican border with Ukrainian border, Tucker Carlson sets up a false Manichaean choice.
I believe his obsession with avoiding these debilitating and self-destructive foreign entanglements is well-placed but overstated because each situation must be judged on its own facts and merits. There is no universal rule that makes sense regarding America's engagement apart from the rule Tucker has already formulated, what is America's national interest?
I think Tucker got it wrong when he flatly declared that America has no national interests in the preservation of Ukraine
The war in Iraq is revealed the following national interests of America:
1. The potential release of nuclear pollution across Europe and around the world resulting from bombing of nuclear plants.
2. Potential release of bio/chemical agents across Europe and around the world resulting from bombing of these facilities or release by Russians in a false flag operation. 3. The preservation of the principal of the integrity of nationstates free from aggression, incursion or invasion.
4. The preservation of supply of foodstuffs, especially wheat, sunflower oil.
5. Assuring the flow of petroleum products at reasonable price.
6. Avoiding inflation.
7. Avoiding nuclear war
8. Preserving America's power to deter aggression especially by China in Taiwan.
9. Preserving the viability of NATO as a deterrent force.
10. Preserving America's position as the world's reserve currency.
These interests vary depending on the state of play of the war. For example, before the invasion our interest in maintaining the flow of petroleum products was important but that changed radically after invasion. Many of the interests emerged only during the course of the war, for example, the need to shut down biological facilities in Ukraine.
Finally, our ability to deter Chinese ambitions against Taiwan only intensify in the course of the war in Ukraine. This perhaps is the most important of our national interests at stake in the Ukraine war but one that deserves more attention than it gets.
Tucker Carlson is still the best on the air, his voice needs to be heard, but I think he is myopic on this issue.
