The central foreign policy that the US is currently facing is preventing both itself and its allies from enemy threats. One of the main ongoing threats is the invasion of Russia into Ukraine’s land. This invasion became apparent in 2014 when Russia started moving to annex Crimea, which had been part of Eastern Ukraine. The tight Ukraine-US economic and political relationship forms the connection between the US and the Ukrainian crisis. The two countries have a bond that both aim to maintain by helping each other in disastrous moments. Since Russia’s threats to Ukraine started, the US noticed an injunction on the US-Ukraine connection (Mbah and Wasum 148). Therefore, while the US might not be directly involved in the Russian-Ukrainian war, the crisis poses economic and political threats to the US, which the country needs to prevent by protecting its allies.
The Ukrainian-Russia war has driven global commodity costs high, resulting in US inflation. Since the crisis’s inception, the US’s inflation rate has steeply risen to 8.5%, meaning product prices have skyrocketed (Mbah and Wasum 144). For instance, milk in the US used to cost about $1.2 before the war, but after the disagreements between the two nations emerged, the price rose to $5.53 per gallon (Mbah and Wasum 144). Additionally, the war has reduced purchasing power due to the raised prices, as it reduces the values of wages, salaries, and pensions. Therefore, the US aims to reduce the rate and stabilize product prices by protecting Ukraine. The types of assistance the US offers to Ukraine include humanitarian support, which consists of a kitty of $653 million to help the vulnerable communities (Mbah and Wasum 145). Generally, the US is struggling to prevent threats to Ukraine as they cause inflation in the former country.
The Ukrainian crisis has resulted in a lowered US GDP, which the American president is trying to increase. A country’s GDP often declines when the nation imports more products than it exports. In this case, the Ukrainian crisis has made the US import a large amount of crude oil to fuel vehicles. This increased importation has decreased the GDP from 3.4% to 3% this year (Harrison et al. 528). This decrease indicates that it is essential for the US to protect Ukraine to avoid huge expenditures on importation (Mbah and Wasum 150). One way the US is protecting Ukraine is by upholding and fostering the implementation of sanctions on Russia, which will deprive its resources, reducing its capability to continue with the aggressions.
Politically, the US is affected by having a reduced influence over Asia. The US has an established trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific presence, enabling seamless trade and cooperation between Asian and Western countries. The Ukrainian crisis will weaken the US presence in the Asian continent, allowing China to dominate economically and politically. Consequently, US allies such as Japan and Australia are projected to be affected by China’s dominance (Mbah and Wasum 148). Additionally, it would be worth noting that China is the only country offering support to Russia during the Ukrainian crisis. It means China’s rise will align with Russia’s supremacy, which will further suppress US influence in the world (Harrison et al. 530). Therefore, the US struggles to protect its allies, including the Asian countries, from joining the geopolitical landscape or any threats Russia and its counterparts pose.
In conclusion, the current central foreign policy that the US is facing is preventing threats to its allies. This issue has become a concern following the Ukrainian crisis, which has resulted in US political and economic disruptions. Economically, the US has experienced high inflation rates, reduced purchasing power, and devaluation of salaries and wages. Additionally, the country’s GDP has lowered drastically, affecting the monetary value of the nation. Politically, the Ukrainian crisis has shown a possibility of China dominating Asia. Therefore, the US must safeguard against any threats directed at itself or its allies for sustained economy and political prowess.
Works Cited
Harrison, Brigid, et al. American Democracy Now. McGraw Hill, 2022.
Mbah, Endam, and Wasum, Divine. “Russian-Ukraine 2022 War: A Review of the Economic Impact of Russian-Ukraine Crisis on the USA, UK, Canada, and Europe.” Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, vol. 9, no. 3, 2022, 144-153.