In recent years, from the media to shed a rampant stream of scandalous news about the alleged collusion between some members of the presidential campaign, trump and Russian. Not without mikania about being at the summit of “Big twenty” President trump and Putin had not one, but two extended private meetings.
Add to this the show that the American Congress likes to put on issues related to Russia and adopted by an overwhelming majority of votes that can outweigh a presidential veto, a law forbidding the President to lift the sanctions if he deems it appropriate. Democrats and a number of Washington insiders use allegations of collusion between the campaign staff of trump and Russian agents to undermine the legitimacy of the trump. Some Republicans have used Russia to demonstrate its own inflexibility.
Some say that Russia is acting gangster methods. I’d say like a hunted bear. Memo to Congress — a quote from a great American social philosopher Oliver hardy: “Well, another good bit of business, in which you got me into!”
Policy — this is not clay that you can sculpt anything, and trump is not some pushover. He immediately strikes back, perhaps even with excessive excitement. However, despite the political scandal, the real interests of America and its real value were taken hostage, and trump is right, Congress moved forward without knowing all the facts.
As noted in 1918, Henry Louis Mencken, “the whole purpose of politics is to keep the population in a state of persistent anxiety (and it is, as a result, will strongly demand security), scaring them with endless horror stories, most of them imaginary”. Our politicians, in an effort to support the panic among the population, this time I wish to make a “Scarecrow” from Russia.
This is totally unjustified and harmful to American interests and values.
So. Russia.
A country where I never went, and which, frankly, I have no ties, except for one or two casual acquaintances.
I will say a few words about Russia. With love.
Trump wants to normalize relations with Russia. He defended this position during the election campaign and has the necessary powers. In this issue trump on the side of the angels. Not much better to have our old ally in WWII (we call it) or the great Patriotic war (as they call it) as a friend rather than an enemy.
Can not condone violations committed by our old ally. However, they should be treated proportionately.
During the cold war, I was a staunch opponent of the Communist regime and has performed and worked on the side of Reagan, sharing his presentation about the Soviet Union as an evil Empire. Still, I felt hostility to communism, not Russia. For many years I remain an unrepentant Russophile.
Yes, Russian are masters of intrigue. As Churchill said in his famous radio address on October 1, 1939:
“I can’t tell you what Russia will do. Dense cover hides everything that happens in this country; but that’s the key to what is happening. This key point — the interests of the Russian state. The security interests of Russia can not meet the plans of Germany to spread to the shores of the Black sea, to conquer the Balkan States and subjugate the Slavonic peoples of South-Eastern Europe. It would be contrary to the historic life-interests of Russia.”
Russian has a number of disadvantages. They can be arrogant, suspicious, and secretive. Currently, they are acting quite restrained. Warning about possible negative reactions: we, Americans, have their own weaknesses. I find the Russian, with whom I have to face — whether they are residents of the capital or the furthest reaches of Siberia — always charming, sad, sentimental, romantic and heroic and with an extremely high level of culture.
Russia is a big Opera people.
To put it less poetically, Russia does not pose a clear and present danger to America. However, the experience of the First world war we know that to start an all-out war just one wrong step, and therefore we need to explore here the possibilities for friendship. For profit and pleasure, and, Yes, do not hesitate from time to time to indulge in an unobtrusive persuasion, whispering their Russian ear, to help them to smooth their own rough edges. Perhaps these romantically heroic-minded people will help us to avoid our own extremes.
Russia is eager to sit down at the dining table cool students, where I have a reserved place of honor. I would argue that it would be — if it will not make you feel like the object of persecution is to be for all welcome. It is in our interests to stop extruding Russia.
As I wrote here, 60% of supporters of Republicans in the primaries voted one of three “adamant pigeons”, the candidates in the spirit of Reagan, Trump, Cruz and Paul. Trump was among them, the “tough dove” and was able to get to the finish line, in part due to this position.
As a candidate for the “inflexible dove” trump began to overtake Hillary Clinton with its harsh statements, which, as a candidate of the Democratic party, demonstrated the horrific predisposition to revive a never-ending war in the middle East and re-drawing America into this quagmire. Mrs. Clinton also took the rhetorically militant stance in relation to Russia: when he was Secretary of state she unreasonably antagonized Putin by comparing him to Hitler is worse than insulting it. He was still a diplomat!
Clinton lost, lost because of their unfortunate position in regard to peace, prosperity and social policies.
Not because of rigging the vote.
Trump was right when he said and continues to say that the main mission of NATO is outdated and deserves a fundamental revision to deal with the revenge-seekers from the Islamic state (banned in Russia organization — approx. ed.) who, desperately trying to restore the Caliphate, resorted to terror. Initially NATO was conceived as a deterrent to the Soviet Union, which, with its approximately four million well-equipped troops, presented a clear and present danger to Europe, and given 40 thousand nuclear warheads, and for America.
Today Russia’s nuclear Arsenal, according to estimates, has less than two thousand deployed warheads — about the same as ours. And still a headache. However, we are not in the first level of combat readiness, and in fact I really don’t want all this to come back. And you?
Yes, we need to keep focused, purely defensive European-American Alliance to our friends in Poland and the Baltic States, for example, didn’t feel abandoned… but at the same time Russia did not feel in his address the threat of possible aggression. Here is a minor remark about the artifact of the cold war, which is NATO.
The West won the cold war. Fell the monstrous Berlin wall. Germany reunited. This is the most powerful symbol of liberation of the occupied peoples of Eastern Europe that once were part of the so-called socialist camp. Then on Christmas day 25 years ago, the Soviet Union peacefully disintegrated into fifteen independent States.
As if the United States was divided into 50 independent States, much less dangerous individually than together. The times are changing. The USSR is long gone. It is time to understand.
Geographically the Russian Federation is the largest of all the former Soviet republics. From the point of view of the territory, it is the largest country in the world: the physical scale of it is almost two times that of the United States, while its population is less than half the size of our. As a result, the state has to defend the vast territories at the apparent lack of population. Currently in Russia there are about one million troops, which cost the country around $ 70 billion per year. These forces provide an extremely poor defense of their vast homeland.
America has approximately 1.3 million people on active duty, the oceans and tractable neighbours, eliminates the necessity of enhanced protection of borders, the funds allocated by the state to defense, amount to about $ 600 billion annually. A contingent of NATO members, including the US, has about 3.5 million troops (at a cost of 900 billion dollars). Taken in the ring, and the minority largely exhausted their resources and sanctioned Russian feel vulnerable and take a defensive position.
Russians have other reasons to feel threatened. This is not just a mathematical exercise in balance of power. “Excessive suspiciousness,” Russian has its historical justification. It is not only the fact that the Russian Federation is considerably inferior in numbers and resources. In recent history, Russia has experienced three major invasion of Western powers: once it was Sweden in 1707, another France in 1812, and the third — Germany in 1941.
This is in addition to the Mongol-Tatar yoke that enslaved Russia in the XIII century, which led to severe exploitation, which lasted almost three centuries. This is longer than the period of the national independence of the United States. This is a very long period.
Changeable American mind it may all seem ancient history.
The old world holds more than old memories. Of course.
Imagine what we would feel, if the 800 year period, America was four times invaded and over two hundred years was under the control of an alien conqueror. Perhaps this story, known to too few Americans to understand the Russian point of view… although it does not justify its excessive reaction.
So, at least for ourselves, take note the answer to the perceptive Churchill: “the interests of the Russian state”. This is not a call to condone authoritarianism. On the contrary.
When the nation feels secure, she is likely to turn to a charismatic leader and to give him freedom of action. Remember how after September 11, America turned to George Bush, remember the freedom that we are under the influence of deception and disinformation gave him the freedom to start a war, which had disastrous humanitarian consequences and consumed trillions of dollars. But they could have been spent on rebuilding our roads, bridges, tunnels, airports, water pipes and pipelines and to strengthen our own economy.
Trump — it can be treated in different ways — I spoke about it openly, clearly and decisively. According to The American Conservative in its analysis of trump’s speech at the joint session of Congress:
“America spent in the middle East about six trillion dollars, — said trump. As they say in the media, trillion with a capital “T”. The amount spent on military adventures of the US in this part of the world, so large — trump, — that the money “we could rebuild our country twice. Maybe three…””
A little overdone? Perhaps, but given that these words were spoken in the building that day-to-day disclosed the most unimaginable hyperbole, this statement here is pretty close to the facts to represent the total number in principle exact.
The more America makes a foreign state feel slighted, risks, humiliation and even bullying, the greater the likelihood that they will turn to the “strong leader” autocrat leader. The greater flexibility will give him the people at home and abroad. This principle applies, although to a lesser extent, even to authoritarian governments.
Around the world people are the same. By and large, we all prefer butter to guns. However, we will choose the weapon if you feel threatened. Under other equal conditions, national leaders prefer to ensure citizens ‘ well-being or, at least, the world. Let’s — as it seems, trump says, and I’m inclined to believe it — turn to the Russian oil.
A promising way of spreading classical liberalism — the “Empire of liberty” Jefferson — needs to be linked to soft power: ideas, culture and an example of prosperity in a free market. America has 800 military bases in 70 countries. Russian Federation — dozen, mostly small and mostly in the former Soviet republics. America boasts 11 aircraft carriers. Russia — only one of the Soviet times. In General has correctly noted, President Obama — it can be treated differently — the us spends on the military as much as the next eight countries combined, and six of them are our allies.
Impressive defense spending for the era, which hasn’t happened wars between industrialized countries. Some people might find us… frightening. Is it this way strives to create America?
A hobby is not cheap. Join the Trump, who said “no!”
Particularly noteworthy are incredulous of my libertarian friends, for whom I left a few comments on the platform, which is a great John Basil Utley on the latest FreedomFest. America is the good guys. (That does not mean that Russia is the bad guys.)
America has never sought to dominate the world for over a century did not demonstrate imperialist ambitions. We reluctantly entered the Great war, First world war, in the fall of the five empires, under control of which at that time was a large part of the population of the world: Austro-Hungarian, Ottoman, Chinese, Russian and British.
We won. Instead of “make the world safe for (representative) democracy”, we met the tyrants, breeding in the ruins of the Empire. So, we reluctantly entered the Second world war —the”Great Patriotic war” — to defeat the tyrants of the West and Imperial Japan: Hitler, Mussolini, Tojo. We won and implemented classical liberal republicanism in Western Europe and Japan. And dismantled the British Empire.
We timidly fought the tyrants of the East during the cold war, heroically invaded Korea, Vietnam and let not troops, but military support has dealt a mortal blow to the Soviet Union in Afghanistan. We won, and then mainly introduces the classical liberal republicanism in the former satellite countries of the USSR and of the constitutional Republic. With our victory in the great cities, Moscow and Beijing, there was a transition from totalitarianism to authoritarianism.
This is really important. Long live us! But when the Soviet Union collapsed, we were in the hands of world domination — burden to bear which we never tried (and own which is not cheap). Trump understands that America doesn’t crave world domination.
Americans just want to make money. World domination, brain, really expensive hobby.
We, liberal Americans, made up omnipresent the government to destroy even more powerful, sometimes monstrous government. It was a heroic era, and for that we should respect ourselves and those leaders whom we anointed to conduct a heroic struggle against tyranny.
The game is over! Now we can cut government to the scale that is commensurate to a peaceful existence. Omnipotent government has fulfilled its task — to overthrow, another all-powerful government. It made his heroic feat.
Now, when victory behind us, we — the people — say thank you and want to take back our power and money. This era is over and the election trump is proof of this.
Yes, let’s take a small part of overdue funds released in the result of the cessation of the arms race, and put a majestic statue of the epic heroes of the hundred years war, in which we heroically resisted the imperialism and tyranny to spread Empire of liberty throughout the world.
Then let’s spend most of this dividend on “oil”: the reduction of marginal tax rates, infrastructure, health and much more.
That’s just… our current policy once they made up horror stories about our enemy from the distant past. Ugh.
Trump went on about the detractors of Russia. And we shouldn’t either.
Russia as an imaginary bogey — subtext the efforts of Congress designed to limit the powers trump the issue of lifting sanctions. Trump, who are particularly flexible will not name, and who clearly won’t hear of it did fool hardly leave the Russian antics unanswered. At least we are in good hands.
Trump has shown himself to be something of a political Houdini. However, the Congress is trying to impose sanctions is simply wrong. It is against American interests — making money — and values — of the world.
The sins of our friends, we perceive differently than the sins of enemies. Russia is a great candidate for a friend, and its violation should be considered proportionate. In addition, let’s not think of the sins, which have no evidence. “Imaginary monsters” and the like.
Actually, let’s do the political consequences of the condition of the world — and the last elections demonstrated that this is what the Americans want.
Where to start?
How about Russia?
With love.
