The answer to that question might be even more discomforting than the question itself: In a country that purports to be a representative democracy, Congress has no role in making that decision.

And yet, the issue of whether Ukraine joins NATO necessarily involves the lives of American citizens. That's because if someone attacks Ukraine after it becomes a NATO member, the U.S. government is is duty-bound to enter the war on behalf of Ukraine. That means that as soon as Ukraine joins NATO, the lives of American soldiers are automatically pledged to Ukraine's defense.

Given that Ukraine's membership automatically embroils the United States in such a war, why doesn't the U.S. Congress have a role in determining whether Ukraine becomes a NATO member or not? Shouldn't the elected representatives of the people be involved in any decision that involves war?

Indeed, where does the declaration-of-war requirement provided in the Constitution fit into all this? Our ancestors called into existence a system in which the United States could not go to war without a formal declaration of war by Congress. Yet, obviously someone has figured out a clever way to avoid that constitutional requirement. As a practical matter, the NATO system trumps that constitutional protection. As soon as Ukraine is attacked, the United States is automatically at war, declaration of war or not.

What amazes me is that American parents of children who are 17 years of age to 24 years of age are so blasé about all this. Wouldn't you think that they would be organizing protests against Ukraine membership, given that it is the lives of their children that are being pledged for the defense of Ukraine? From what I read, most people can't identify Ukraine's location on a map. I'm willing to bet that most Americans also don't personally know any Ukrainians.