Republican culture war threatens US unity on Ukraine, AUKUS

Joe Biden vows American unity for Ukraine “will not falter”, but Tom Minear warns Republicans are fighting a culture war which puts that – and AUKUS – at risk.

Last week’s NATO summit was a good one for Joe Biden.

Sure, he called Ukraine’s President “Vladimir” Zelensky, tripped on the Air Force One stairs, and skipped the leaders’ dinner because he was tired. But the substance of the summit was a success for the US President: arranging Sweden’s admission to NATO and establishing a G7-backed security framework to help Ukraine fend off Russia.

“The defence of freedom is not the work of a day or a year. It’s the calling of our lifetime … Our unity will not falter, I promise you,” Biden told a cheering crowd in Lithuania.

US President Joe Biden shakes hands with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky during the NATO summit. Picture: Ludovic Marin (AFP)

Sadly, however, that is not a promise for him to make or keep. Because back here in the US, his Republican rivals showed they would rather fight the culture wars than win the biggest land war in Europe since World War II.

Bucking decades of bipartisan tradition, they hijacked Congress’s annual defence funding bill with amendments to restrict abortion access, limit transgender healthcare and cut diversity programs, which Speaker Kevin McCarthy thundered would “end wokeism in the military”.

In turn, Democrats refused to vote in the House of Representatives for what their leader Hakeem Jeffries branded a “hate-filled vessel for right-wing MAGA extremism”.

We don’t want Disneyland to train our military.

House Republicans just passed a bill that ENDS the wokism in the military and gives our troops their biggest pay raise in decades. pic.twitter.com/JBkoZxsFiS

— Kevin McCarthy (@SpeakerMcCarthy) July 14, 2023

Unless both parties can negotiate a bill that will pass the House and the Democrat-controlled Senate, the Pentagon will run out of money by September 30. Whatever you think of the Republican amendments, their effort to “depoliticise the military” is in fact politicising its core operations at the worst possible time, given the US is literally running out of ammunition.

This is a problem for Australia, too, because AUKUS needs new laws in the bill. Ambassador Kevin Rudd – who is ramping up his Republican charm offensive – seems hopeful of a deal.

It was a privilege to sit down with @SpeakerMcCarthy this week. The solid foundation of the US-Australia alliance has never been more critical. Lots of discussions surrounding #AUKUS & allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific region. pic.twitter.com/MiqcxcD9cZ

— Kevin Rudd AC (@AmboRudd) July 14, 2023

Nevertheless, and the widespread support for the pact notwithstanding, the dispute serves as reminder that America’s international responsibilities are increasingly being squeezed by the domestic interests of those on both political extremes.

Fortunately for Ukraine, enough Republicans voted against their colleagues’ efforts to cut US support last week. But the tide is turning, particularly as Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis – the party’s top 2024 presidential contenders – criticise America’s involvement in the war and push for a settlement that could only come with unacceptable concessions to Russia.

Consider this. After the cheers for Biden in Lithuania, Trump’s vice president Mike Pence told Republican voters the US should keep funding Ukraine’s fight. He was booed.