We want a different Russia to have a relationship with. A Russia that is not a dictatorship under Putin determined to expand it’s control over the world. Putin is a pig, a murderer, plundering his own people.
Putin’s Russia is not a fair player in international relations. We can’t trust him to negotiate in good faith. He aims to extend his dominance of Ukraine, hold on to Crimea, control Syria, and extend control beyond that. He is not interested in democratic governance of Russia, or any other place in the world. Our only approach must be for Russia to become a democratic nation, to stop being a threat to its neighbors, to stop the oligarchic division of it’s resources for the benefit of Putin’s selected elite, to stop their money laundering operations, to aid in ending the threat from North Korea and other hostile nations. We must place the demands on Russia, change course or return to Cold War isolationism and their gradual decline. We cannot offer a carrot that involves Putin maintaining control.
If we are lucky nothing will come of Trumps meeting with Putin. Bush Jr. made the mistake of trusting Putin, and so did Obama. Putin has no motivation to end his desire for hegemony through improved relations with the Western world if we treat him as an equitable partner.
Awwww. A continent-spanning great power is hard to push around, wantonly interferes in the internal affairs of other countries, attacks them on false pretenses … wait that sounds familiar.
I’m not going to try to defend all our actions. WE have a lot of room for improvement ourselves, but we have a much better history of acting in the greater interests of other nations than they do. Can you tell me which nations would feel better off with Russia as the dominant world power instead of ourselves?
And before I get too distracted by this side branch of argument I’ll point out that my comments are critical of the US and our approach to Russia through this century so far. It is not only Russia that must change, we must return to operating on a principle that democratic governance is better for ourselves and all nations.
Iraq, Iran, Libya, Syria…actually, just make a list of countries the US has attacked in the past 25 years and you’ll know. It’s always bad form to believe one’s own propaganda.
Anyway… The Russian Federation needs rebooting by American power. Hillary planned to face-down Putin to the death; demanding of Mother Russia that she repudiate this disobedient villain, send him into exile ---- one of the most deeply funny aspects of pompous Western diplomacy is to bleat fatuously like squabbling mafioso: ‘We have no quarrel with you, little people, only with your leaders; we will let them go into exile with their loot, and if they refuse our instructions all the blood is on them for not knuckling under.’ — and clean the Russian house, giving its desperate peoples all the American Ideals they can eat. All foreigners really want is to be directed by American interests, after all.
Could have been amusing.
I can’t disagree. We have gave the Soviet Union an opening in the past into parts of the world where we failed to act with the same intentions as in Europe. We aren’t doing a great job of improving that situation now either. But I’m still not seeing that as a reason to seek peace in our time from an agreement with Putin.
Awww, so since russia wants to meddle in our elections and interfere with our overseas interests, we should just let them? That sounds like your argument there.
We are not passing judgement on Russia, Russia’s gonna do what Russia’s gonna do. It would be nice if they were “better”, but that is not what we are talking about.
The question is, do we normalize relations with them, and allow their behavior to go unchecked, or do we demonstrate our disapproval of them by at least trying to prevent their influence beyond their borders.
The point is not whether we do it, or they do it, or if Janice from accounting does it, the question is, are we willing to let it be done to ourselves?
Cause we lock up a greater portion of our population then they do. Our military budget dwarfs theirs. We bomb more countries then they do. We have WAYYYY more military bases than they do.
And Putin was actually elected at least once by a majority of his populace as opposed to…oh…the current leader of the US.
You can stomp your feet all day listing the things you want. Any action you recommend is going to harm innocent people much more than they will be harmed under Putin. Butt out.
Russia and Putin are completely untrustworthy, and that will never change until they’re more powerful than we are, if then. Which means it’s never going to change.
While I applaud liberals’ newfound hard line on Russia, why not apply that same thinking to other bad actors around the world? Normally you guys are rushing to have us talk and sign agreements with these kinds of people.
Is helping to defeat a Democratic Presidential candidate what it takes to make liberals see you for what you are?