4 Concepts About the Ukraine Crisis That Shouldn’t Be So Hard to Understand

1. It is possible to believe that fascists
and other creepy sorts played a notable role in the
Maidan uprising and that the revolt was, on balance,
a movement for greater freedom.

2. It is possible to believe that the Maidan revolt was a
movement for greater freedom and that people elsewhere in
Ukraine have legitimate reasons to be aggravated about the new
government, and even about the fact that they’re ruled from Kiev in
the first place.

3. It is possible to believe that there are Ukrainian citizens
with legitimate complaints about Kiev and that Russia
should not be inserting its military, or indeed any of its
influence, into the country.

4. It is possible to believe it’s bad that Russia’s sticking its
snout into its neighbor’s affairs and that it would
be dumb for the U.S. to intervene to stop it.

Disagree with any of those combinations of views that you want.
But don’t act as though they’re inconceivable. There have been a
lot of logical leaps in the debates over the ongoing crisis,
particularly—and most dangerously—from the folks who don’t seem
able to understand #4.

Bonus: It is possible to believe that the U.S. should
stay out of the conflict and that it’s a good idea to
allow increased exports of natural gas, not because that will cut
into Putin’s power—though that would be a happy
effect—but because it’s something the government ought to be
allowing anyway.