Only for news & views directly related to the Ukraine conflict.

The current open thread for other issues is here.

Please stick to the topic. Contribute facts. Do not attack other commentators.

There are new polls out which show the changing opinion of U.S. citizens and others about supporting the war in Ukraine.

Newsweek came first, with a very deceiving headline:

U.S. Troops Should be Sent to Ukraine, Third of Americans Say

The text describing the poll does not really support what the headline says:

A total of 31 percent of eligible voters in the U.S. support or strongly support American military forces heading to the battlefields of Ukraine, polling conducted exclusively for Newsweek by Redfield & Wilton Strategies has revealed.

A quarter of respondents neither supported nor opposed the idea of sending U.S. soldiers to Ukraine, with 34 percent against the suggestion. Just under one in ten respondents did not know.

Can anyone tell me why one would put the loosing share of the opinion poll into the headline?

What is surprising, at least to me, is the huge difference of opinions between the young and the older voters:

In the poll, those identified as "Millennial," between 27 and 42 years old, were most likely to "strongly support" committing U.S. troops to Ukraine. However, more respondents aged between 18-26 (Gen Z) said they would support the measure overall, 47 percent saying they supported or strongly supported sending U.S. troops.

Nearly a third of respondents aged over 59 said they opposed pledging U.S. troops to Ukraine, with a further 25 percent "strongly" opposing the suggestion.

The pro-war Gen-Z-lers should be put through a boot camp to be shipped off to Europe. I have no doubt that it would change their opinion in no time.

In contrast to Newsweek the CNN poll pice is correctly headlined:

CNN Poll: Majority of Americans oppose more US aid for Ukraine in war with Russia

Most Americans oppose Congress authorizing additional funding to support Ukraine in its war with Russia, according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS, as the public splits over whether the US has already done enough to assist Ukraine.

Overall, 55% say the US Congress should not authorize additional funding to support Ukraine vs. 45% who say Congress should authorize such funding. And 51% say that the US has already done enough to help Ukraine while 48% say it should do more. A poll conducted in the early days of the Russian invasion in late February 2022 found 62% who felt the US should have been doing more.

The CNN poll seem to contradict the one by Newsweek on the most important question:

When asked specifically about types of assistance the US could provide to Ukraine, there is broader support for help with intelligence gathering (63%) and military training (53%) than for providing weapons (43%), alongside very slim backing for US military forces to participate in combat operations (17%).

There is a strong partisan divide about supporting the war:

Within both parties, there are splits by ideology. On providing additional funding, liberal Democrats are far and away the most supportive, 74% back it compared with 51% of moderate or conservative Democrats. Among Republicans, about three-quarters of conservatives oppose new funding (76%) compared with 61% of moderate or liberal Republicans.

Independents mostly say the US has done enough to help Ukraine (56%) and that they oppose additional funding (55%).

The progressives in the U.S., like the Greens in Europe, are now the fringe that is most eager to pursue the war. They are, of course, also those who are the least eager to serve in the military.

It is interesting to compare that with a change in opinion of young Poles, aged 16-34:

There has been a fundamental shift when it comes to the stance that young Poles think their government should adopt in the war in Ukraine. In 2022, an overwhelming majority of 83% argued that the government should support Ukraine – but this number has changed drastically.

Now, 65% of respondents back continuous support for Ukraine, whereas the remaining 34% wish for Poland to stay neutral. Clearly, more than one and a half years into the current phase of the conflict and amid fears of other countries being pulled into the war, young people have become more cautious.

Those numbers are a month old. It is likely that the support has sunk further and will no longer be in a majority by the end of this year.

While no poll can be trusted fully they show in aggregate that the general opinion is moving away from supporting the war.

That gives some hope that any unnecessary prolonging of the war, which some neoconservative circles seem to wish, will be met by a strong opposition.

The opening of the 2024 election season was launched this week with the House Oversight Committee getting testimony from Hunter Biden's business partner Devon Archer over several documents related to Burisma. The following day confirmed this with the opening of another indictment against Donald Trump.

The timeline proves that these were not independent events.

Andrew Clark @AndrewHClark – 21:15 UTC · Aug 2, 2023

This timeline is actually incredible. I mean come on.

3/17 – Hunter admits laptop
3/18 – Trump indictment news

6/8 – FBI doc alleges Biden bribe
6/9 – Trump indicted

7/26 – Hunter plea deal collapses
7/27 – Trump indicted

7/31 – Devon Archer testifies
8/1 – Trump indicted

The election strategy of the Biden administration and the Democratic party seems to be to deprive Donald Trump of the time and means to go stumping across the country. That however is likely to fail.

As the Economist writes:

The multiplying felony counts against him—78 so far, with more probably coming—are consuming his campaign funds, and Democrats hope they will distract him from the campaign trail. This is wishful thinking. In 2024 the Trump trials will be the trail. They will focus attention on him and his message of fearless challenge in the face of persecution.

I have thumbed through the latest indictment, three counts of 'conspiracy and one of 'obstruction', and find it somewhat unconvincing.

Cont. reading: Election 2024 – Two Legal Cases And One Winner

Only for news & views directly related to the Ukraine conflict.

The current open thread for other issues is here.

Please stick to the topic. Contribute facts. Do not attack other commentators.

News & views (not related to the war in Ukraine) …

Susan found and sent these:

Spectator, Aug 6, 2022 – Sanctions are working – whatever Putin says

bigger

  Spectator, May 13, 2023 – Why the economic war against Russia has failed

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Similar headlines or sentiments will be found in pretty much any other 'western' magazine that still has some integrity.

The catastrophic consequences  of  sanctioning Russia without any realistic assessment of its, and one's own economies should have led to a serious clean up of all state and international bureaucracies involved in it.

Alas, we have yet to see that anyone who was involved has been punished for these horrendous mistakes.

The very same people are now involved in finding 'solutions' for the mess their shortsightedness created.

It is no wonder then that people will vote for anyone other than those in charge.