Ricochet is the best place on the internet to discuss the issues of the day, either through commenting on posts or writing your own for our active and dynamic community in a fully moderated environment. In addition, the Ricochet Audio Network offers over 50 original podcasts with new episodes released every day.
Mattis on Russia
You may be interested in our Secretary of Defense-nominee’s views:
This, interestingly, was president-elect Trump in 2014:
“Mitt was right … Russia’s our biggest problem.” More of a problem than al Qaeda? Yes. “Look at what Russia is doing with Iran.” … “He’s rebuilding the Russian Empire.”
No real lack of clarity there.
But if he’s such a tough negotiator, why has he conceded everything to Putin in advance? We’re waking up to this:
President-elect Donald Trump viewed Russia as the United States’ No. 1 threat in 2014. He now appears to have embraced policies that align “exactly” with President Vladimir Putin’s priorities, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in a speech Tuesday.
I know some here have confidence that there’s a strategic genius at work here. I sure hope you’re right.
Published in General
So Trump is putting together an incredibly experienced team with Mattis, Tillerson, and Flynn. These three men probably have close to a 360 degree viewpoint on Russia. While his Cabinet is being installed, Trump says, “What’s wrong with me getting along with Putin? I consider that to be an asset. We both need to fight Islamic Radicalism. There is also a very good chance we won’t get along, but if we do, it’s a good thing” (paraphrasing). Trump is also stating categorically that he wants to strengthen our military. I do not believe I ever heard Hillary Clinton say that, by the way. Our former two Presidents allowed Russia to invade Georgia, Ukraine, and now Syria. The Obama/Clinton solution was a plastic red “RESET’ button that was probably made in China. Trump has inherited a situation of weakness and retreat for the last 16 years. But you, Claire, are suddenly aroused and have dug around in your closet to find those Indian war drums your dad gave you when you were a kid. How about some patience? He’s not even President yet. And, as an aside, the fact that Russia at its highest levels is not talking antagonistically towards Trump might mean a door is cracking open.
I have to agree with the above statement – you can’t be a bulldog and make sneers and threats while putting very experienced, top people in your cabinet with a clear vision of Russian reality, promising to beef up the military and just now taking on the new job of president, with all that entails. If I was cornered by a tiger and had the option of throwing stones at him or giant, juicy steaks so I could distract while making a getaway plan, I’d throw streaks.
If you can’t dazzle them with brilliance, flummox them with your Twitter feed.
I don’t know if that is the plan or not. I wouldn’t read too much into Tillerson’s “friendship” with Putin. It was his job to get along with people whom his company wanted to do business with. Some of those people would be pretty odious. That at least is one definition of “diplomat.”
If Putin thinks we aren’t prepared to push back, there will be little green men all over Europe and pro-Putin politicians in power in every European country, brought to power by a firehose of Kremlin propaganda, and probably by refugee floods from Libya and pre-election, Kremlin-staged-or-supported terrorist attacks. Perhaps we’re acting behind the scenes to indicate there will be a terrible price paid for this. I hope so. But what I see is the outgoing president pardoning Chelsea Manning and the incoming president talking as if he’s already determined to “make deals” with someone who has never respected a deal in his life, is threatening to nuke us, and has the ability to obliterate us in thirty minutes. We really don’t have time for patience.
I’d never seen him in full. Thanks. I’m glad he’s there. He’s the kind who would resign rather than do something stupid. Trump must have liked what he said to him. Of course we’ll want to make deals with Russia and with China and those deals have to be built on our credibility and strength and don’t give anything away.
Conceeded everything ? Well I guess it’s all over now. No need to even think about it anymore beyond impeachment proceedings for treason.
OK, I am bringing this over from your previous post because they are obviously connected:
So what has Angela Merkel been doing the past decade(?) What did she do when Russia invaded Ukraine? What did she do when Russia’s client al-Assad, and later Russia itself, blew up Syria creating a million Muslim refugees, which she welcomed into Europe. She may well be the most responsible for the end of Europe as a Western civilization in years to come. Doesn’t Germany have at least as large, certainly more diverse, economy than Russia? Doesn’t Germany have considerably larger population? Isn’t Germany separated from Russia by a single small country? Doesn’t Germany renege on its financial obligations to NATO? The EU in its entirety is triple the economy and population of Russia. I don’t want to embolden Putin either, but it certainly isn’t the not yet President Trump who is or has been doing that.
And those little green men used to come from Mars. Please don’t tell me Putin has invaded Mars too.
Everyone’s confused but after the next election he will have more leeway. He’s still looking into Puty-Poot’s soul and the ‘reset’ will be coming soon. No worries.
If I was cornered by a tiger I’d shoot it, skin it, and stick it on a wall over a sign that says, “serves you right Vlad” .
So how did Putin get to him? Debt forgiveness? Compromising photos? What do you think Claire?
Ha! Please do tell. Maybe Putin has a recording of Trump talking dirty to some TV guy about grabbing women’s genitals (with their permission, of course).
Given the past 8 years, then, this must already be true.
Well, come on it’s the global Christian white men alliance. Sort of a last hurrah, I guess, given that the numbers of non-Christians and non-whites are growing faster. Hope they don’t blow up everything just because they are so so mad.
Little green men.
The only Martian involved only has two days left in the White House.
If they asked me — and there’s zero chance of that — I’d say “speak softly and squeeze Putin’s economy like a zit.” Low oil prices have him by the throat. Drill baby drill.
Wisdom…
We probably should not forget that in return for an independent Ukraine that the agreement was that the Ukrainians return any nuclear weapons on their soil to Russia and in return Russia would grant the Ukrainians their independence. The Ukrainians returned the weapons, but now Russia is threatening the Ukraine. This speaks to Russian credibility and should be remembered in any future negotiations or deals if you like with Russia.
Misinformation from the Putin regime is more sophisticated than just so called “honey traps” (compromising photos of either individuals with prostitutes, or installing child porn on someone’s computer). The Russians are quite capable of appealing to a nations fears of Russian strength, or their good intentions to people outside their borders. They can tailor the message depending upon the audience, and appeal to different audiences in not only different countries but in the same country as well.
One should not assume that just because Democrats are upset with Russia there is nothing to see behind the curtain. These same Democrats that are upset with Russia would have stood on the beach and waved at the Japanese airplanes on December 7th, 1941. My hope is that Donald Trump won’t be standing on the beach waving some morning.
One more thing, nations do not have friends, they have national interests.
I don’t know. I fear he may be naive, weak, and susceptible to manipulation and flattery.
Nations have character too. Russia has always struck me as that of a clawing opportunistic untrustworthy whore with a derringer in her garter. Only a complete idiot would trust Russia about anything that doesn’t’t align with their self-interests ( and Vlad’s narcissism).
Whatever it is, it’s enough for him to drop his ‘I am a tough negotiator for America’s interest” pretense.
Not that Trump is planning it this way, but his level of uncertainty that he brings might acutally be an asset. Plus that video shows that beneath it all he understands Russia.
Claire, has it worked going Obama’s way? Obama’s way is consistent weakness.
If Trump can (1) play good cop to the Senate hawk’s bad cop, and if (2) along side that he can befriend Putin there might be some contructive progress with Russia. Ultimately we need Russia on our side given China’s rise. It can’t be worse than the current state of affairs.
I doubt that very much.
That’s right on. Obama has been consistently weak. A mountain of jello.
Verbal threats and sanctions are all well and good, but there has to be a bit more. When the British and French realized that appeasing Hitler was not going to be enough they drew their own line in the sand. They threatened Hitler with war if he invaded Poland. Unfortunately for Poland, the British, and the French did not have any troops in Poland, the rest is history as they say.
The fact that American troops are moving through Poland and the Baltic States presents a problem for Mr. Putin, but it does something else as well. American troops are actually operating and becoming familiar with the geography of these areas. This avoids that, “Where the hell are we moment” if things go wrong. It also allows us to asses the strengths and weaknesses of those nations we are trying to protect, and how best to support each other in the field. On a strategic level it blunts Russian propaganda efforts to destabilize and demoralize these countries.
Obviously not! Obama’s foreign policy has brought us to the precipice — and helped to steer many parts of the world over it. It’s because of this that so much is riding now on Trump getting it right. He doesn’t have room for error.
We need someone with the wisdom of Solomon and the statesmanship of Churchill in that office right now. I pray it’s true that God has a special providence for fools, drunks, and the United States of America.
Yes — I am so grateful for those troops. From the video I’ve seen, so is Poland, which is a moving thing to see.
Sanctions aren’t pointless. Putin doesn’t want to know what happens if Russians end up on bread lines again. There’s a reason he’s working so hard to get them lifted. The USSR didn’t collapse because we came into direct military contact in Eastern Europe — it collapsed because we waged economic war against it.
Churchill was known for being a bit of a bull in a china cabinet too. Sometimes being a bull in a china cabinet is what you need. Hopefully Trump’s cabinet functions as his Solomon. My feel after listening to the entire of Trump the last couple of years is that he’s very reluctant to get into a shooting war. I don’t think he’s going to be rash.
Well sort of. The economic advantage gave us the military edge, or in other words the inability for Russia to keep up. So it was interconnected.
Those American troops now can be a bargining chip based on Russian good behavior.
It’s a vivid description, but what really strikes me (and frightens me) about contemporary Russia is the nihilism.
I wish I understood the language. It’s very hard to get a sense of what a country’s really about when you can’t understand the language. My stepsister, sadly, died five years ago. She lived in Leningrad and was married to a Russian. She spoke what I’m told was exquisite Russian. She hated Putin the way I hate Erdoğan. I often think how much I’d like to talk to her about all of this and how much I’d value her judgment of it.
Vlad is an ambitious malignant narcissist involved in a prancing and dancing prologue with another narcissist. The issue is if they get in to a serious genital measuring contest with each other we will have a war. Putin got to play with a petulant effeminate president Obama and won, he’s attempting to read Trump by probing now. Pleasantly Trump has good people and will listen to them. Relax and Trust in Mad Dog.
The problem for Vlad is that the USA can kick anyone’s butt and he knows it.