U.S. President Donald Trump (R) shakes hands with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as Russian President Vladimir Putin stands nearby during a meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany July 7, 2017 Sputnik/Mikhail Klimentyev/Kremlin via REUTERS
Molly K. McKew, Politico: Trump Handed Putin a Stunning Victory
From his speech in Poland to his two-hour summit in Hamburg, the president seemed determined to promote Russia’s dark and illiberal view of the world.
President Donald Trump needed to accomplish two things this week during his visits to Poland and the G-20 Summit in Hamburg. First, he needed to reassure America’s allies that he was committed to collective defense and the core set of values and principles that bind us together. Second, he needed to demonstrate that he understands that the greatest threat to that alliance, those values, and our security is the Kremlin.
Trump delivered neither of these. In very concrete terms, through speech and action, the president signaled a willingness to align the United States with Vladimir Putin’s worldview, and took steps to advance this realignment. He endorsed, nearly in its totality, the narrative the Russian leader has worked so meticulously to construct.
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WNU Editor: For those who believe in globalism and America's leading role in it .... involvement in endless wars .... open borders .... trade agreements that result in America's industrial base moving to other countries .... and never ending conflict with countries like Russia .... then yes, Molly K. McKew is correct .... President Trump threw a bone (not a stunning victory) to Putin. As for her commentary itself .... Molly K. McKew's concerns about President Trump not being committed to NATO differs from what I see in this President. From my vantage point .... President Trump's commitment to NATO has always been there .... but he has made it very clear that it may change if fellow NATO members do not become responsible for the commitments that they have repeatedly made over the years to NATO. Why be part of an alliance when no one wants to commit their share to it .... but expect you to do so. President Trump is stating the obvious .... this type of double standard never lasts .... and it will not in this case. As for the Kremlin being a threat to NATO and the Western alliance .... please. The Western economies and military forces are massive when compared to Russia. If it was not for its nuclear weapons, the West would be viewing Russia as they view Turkey .... big army, a nuisance at times, but not a threat.
In closing .... Molly K. McKew is missing (or ignoring) something that we should all respect .... and that is what does the American people want. President Trump was very clear on what he wanted when he ran for the Presidency .... and for that the American electorate elected him as the nation's 45th President. He has a mandate for change .... and I do understand that some of that change is going to be hard for some people to accept ... like the above Politico columnist.
6 comments:
WNU: Bravo!
I pass
First of all and very respectfully I believe you underestimate Russian non nuclear power. Nonetheless this nuclear power is definitely to be respected and is NOT something one who is sane would want to be on the receivng end of.
"As for those Americans who believe in..." Most Americans believe in the opposite now and understand the things Ms Mckew believes in and espouses are destroying America. As for conflict with Russia, we lack the resources to prosecute it effectively, can't afford it, and DON'T NEED IT!! DJT wants to end Cold War 2 and likely understands we NEED to end it. VP and the Russian leadership want to end it. Unfortunately wr have some insane people like Ms. McKew and numerous people in high positions in the US who seem he!l bent on going out of their way to inflame the situation. At some point, the Russians are going to lose patience with us.
As to a "bone", I'm not sure what that was. In order to move negotiations forward, it had to be established that DJT is not some sort of Russian "poodle." To this end, VP allowed DJT to appear superior during the most recent meeting, at least the part for public consumption. To this extent, Putin threw the "bone" here.
Apparently they had a good meeting. If this can be built upon, the Ms. Mckew and her ilk will be even more unhappy. As for the rest of us, this would be good.
B. Poster.
I am not underestimating Russian conventional military power. I am just saying that the West has more of it. But if the West should invade Russia .... they would be defeated big time .... I am 100% sure of that. On the flip side .... Europe is too big for Russia to invade .... even if they wanted to. But this argument is moot .... such a war will mean the deployment and use of nuclear weapons .... and probably on the first day.
As for bones .... Russia wants the war to end in Syria .... the U.S. threw him a bone on that (U.S. cooperation) .... but the more that I think about it, the more that I beginning to feel that it is a small bone.
Editor,
I agree on an invasion of Russia that the "west" would be defeated and big time. Furthermore there's no reason for the "west" to even contemplate such a thing. Only someone who is insane would contemplate such a thing.
As to who has "more" and "better," the only way to "know" would be an actual hot military conflict and as I've explained we can't afford it, lack the resources to prosecute effectively, and we don't need it. You are spot on about Russian nuclear capabilities. This is NOT something to trifle with.
U.S. cooperation with Russia on Syria seems very prudent for our intetsts. I've been saying this needed to happen since long before DJT became president. If this was a "small bone," pethaps it was sufficient for now. You had indicated VP seemed "relieved" after the meeting. 1.) Perhaps DJT proved himself to not be as stark raving mad as many other US officials and gave hope that he might be reasonable. 2.)DJT has been dogged by allegations of being to tight with Russia. To move to fast might undermine the process. Since DJT, his team, VP, and the Russian government want to end Cold War 2 and DJT likely understands that America needs to end it. As such, the parties agreed on a small bone for now with more negotiations to follow.
After all Cold War 1 wasn't ended overnight. While it'd be optimal to end this one overnight, it may not be possible especially when we must contend with stark raving mad US officials and media pundits who seem h!ll bent on undermining careful and meticulous diplomatic processes.
Thank you very much for your reply.
Fusion,
Maintaince of the US arsenal and training of the personnel has been lacking. As such, their is significant doubt as to whether arsenal even works. In fact, candidate Trump brought this up asking such questions. Candidate Trump was correct in doing so.
It'd be unwise for the US to try and mix it up with powers like Russia and China at this point. Since we don't need to at this point, we have some breathing space to build a viable nuclear deterrent and to build a conventional military that is capable of standing up to them.
In tne mean time, look for ways to add value to the major powers of Russia and China. Such actions will enhance our national security and offer us opportunities to grow our economy and enhance the opportunities of our people.
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