by Josiah Lippincott at American Greatness
Earlier this month, Joe Biden referred to Russian President Vladimir Putin as a “brutal” “war criminal” who should be put on trial for his actions in Ukraine. Biden then used these allegations of war crimes to call on Congress to provide more weapons and money to Ukraine and demand increased sanctions against Russia and its citizens.
Republicans in Congress have been happy to comply, voting unanimously in the Senate to revive the World War II-era Lend-Lease Program. So far, Congress has approved $14 billion in aid to Ukraine (enough to pay for one complete border wall between the United States and Mexico).
Even President Trump, who should know better than to trust anything coming out of the D.C. swamp—especially when it concerns Russia and Eastern Europe—has seized upon the war crimes language. He has echoed Biden, in fact, calling the Russian war in Ukraine a “genocide.” Trump isn’t nearly as crazed as the leftists, of course. He lacks the requisite bloodlust.
Still, Trump and his supporters have plenty of reason to be skeptical of claims that the Russians are committing atrocities. We Americans have a long and proud tradition of being lied into war with false and lurid claims of war crimes abroad. We would do well to develop a healthy sense of distrust for anything about which the media, White House, and both parties are in agreement—especially when it comes to American intervention abroad.
Most Americans, at this point, know that the 2003 war in Iraq was based on the lie that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction and intended to use them. The infamous image of Colin Powell holding up a vial of white powder before the United Nations is proof positive of the willful deception engaged in by the Bush Administration to push us into war.
Less well known is that the first Gulf War was also based on a lie.
Unpacking the precise nature of that lie is instructive for our contemporary situation.
On August 2, 1990, Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait…
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