Dallas Professor: American Concern About Ukraine 'Inexorably Intertwined With Nuclear Weapons'

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Think of the population of Dallas and imagine they're leaving the city as a foreign army invades. That's what happening in Ukraine; well over a million people have left the country since the war began.

But Ukraine is a world away - so why is it garnering so much attention and focus here at home?

Dallas College professor Clive Siegle teaches history and offered a lesson today, explaining why this war is getting so much attention from Americans. "It's one when thing when your neighbors are fighting... it's another when it spills into your yard," he said.

Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Siegle's assessment, has spilled into America's yard.

"This is a very dangerous situation," he said. "This is inexorably intertwined with nuclear weapons."

The Russian invasion in Ukraine could also be deemed a power move against national security here in the US. Americans may offer humanitarian aid to families under siege in Ukraine or endure rising gas prices here at home, but concern for the war, Siegel said, is built on concern here.

It's viewed by US officials as an attack on a people aligned with America, a threat to the national security of Americans, and a reason why Americans should be concerned.

"The foe chasing these people is not some third world county; this is the big leagues here. We are on a tight rope with this because here, we are playing with major powers. We are directly in the face of a nemesis that we know is capable of incredible destruction," Siegle said. "It's not just a humanitarian crisis. Lurking in the background is a global crisis."

Siegle said there's more focus on this war because it has the potential to affect Americans in ways we haven't seen since World War II. Destruction's affecting Ukraine today, but where could it move tomorrow?