Author Topic: Russia- Friend or Foe?  (Read 1881 times)

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Offline Weisshaupt

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Russia- Friend or Foe?
« on: March 10, 2017, 10:05:44 AM »
http://www.worldaffairsjournal.org/blog/michael-j-totten/brace-yourself-new-cold-war

Quote
Their hostility toward the United States in general isn’t obvious to everyone in this country. Putin’s approval rating actually increased during the last year among Trump’s most die-hard supporters. The rest of us, though—and the rest of us still includes most Republicans—are reacting against Russian malfeasance more strongly than we have at any time since the Berlin Wall fell.

That reaction is blowing up in the Trump administration’s face, but the president can turn it around by taking an unambiguously hawkish stance against Russia. Putin, meanwhile, can’t do anything to recover his reputation in the United States.

Trump has already started to reverse himself and isn’t as rhetorically kind to Putin as he was even recently. “Even in the way he talks you can now hear notes of Obama,” said Russian Communist leader Gennady Zyuganov. “And you can hear in his address [to Congress]: the military budget will be increased by over $50 billion.”

During last year’s campaign, Trump openly considered recognizing Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea Peninsula, joining just a handful of rogue states like North Korea and Venezuela. A couple of weeks ago, though, he backtracked and tweeted, “Crimea was TAKEN by Russia during the Obama Administration. Was Obama too soft on Russia?”

Many of the president’s pro-Putin aides and staff—Paul Manafort, Carter Page and Mike Flynn to a lesser extent—are out now while many of his current cabinet members—in particular United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley and Defense Secretary James Mattis—are as staunchly hawkish on Russia as John McCain and Mitt Romney. Trump hasn’t stuck a sock in their mouths and probably never will. “There's a decreasing number of areas where we can engage cooperatively,” Mattis said recently, “and an increasing number of areas where we're going to have to confront Russia.”

There are other reasons Putin and his claque are unhappy. “With Trump in the White House,” Ivan Krastev and Stephen Holmes write in Foreign Policy magazine, “Putin has lost his monopoly over geopolitical unpredictability. The Kremlin’s ability to shock the world by taking the initiative and trashing ordinary international rules and customs has allowed Russia to play an oversized international role and to punch above its weight. Putin now has to share the capacity to keep the world off balance with a new American president vastly more powerful than himself. More world leaders are watching anxiously to discover what Trump will do next than are worrying about what Putin will do next.”

So after all this, the Kremlin has ordered Russia’s state-run media to stop writing about Trump as if he’s some kind of hero.

There’s a lot more going on, though, than a cooling of the Trump euphoria in Moscow. The Russians have plenty of reasons to fear the emergence, if not sooner then at least later, of a sustained bipartisan American hostility to Russia and Putin, with Donald Trump himself as its champion, that dwarfs anything the world has seen since Ronald Reagan engaged with détente with the Soviet Union’s last premier Mikhail Gorbachev.

Dude.

You  think there is widespread anti-Russian sentiment in the United States? The libtards think America is the enemy and so already side with those who wish to destroy it.  And the rest of us have to admit that any conflict between the US and Russia is a genuine conflict of interest.. Our elites/deep State  have been jacking with him for Decades, and it isn't a surprise that Putin  decides to take a hard line against them - after all that is where we are at as well.  I never forget Putin is a Thug, but I don't see personal agenda in most of his actions. I think he genuinely loves Russia and is trying to do his best for her and her people. I think he knows that the United States Deep State is a genuine threat - and that neither he, nor Russia , will fare well in an all out War with the United States.  If ( and I do mean if)  he used his influence to move Trump into position, it is because he felt that Trump would be less likely to support that war, and be likely to fight his enemies in the deep state.  Putin's goals for Russia certainly do not coincide with those of the United States in every area,  nor do I think he has any sort of genuine concern for the American people. But , for the moment, the biggest enemy is the Deep State,  not just for Putin, but for us and for any individualist freedom loving citizens. The Deep State as squandered any trust they may have had that they were "protecting us" and  I am not in the least concerned that Wikileaks has "published secret CIA data" - expsoning the Deep States malfeasance and manipulation of foreign powers - and very probably our own domestic issues. DHS trying to hack election computers?  DNC Email hack  with  a "trail of Russian Fingerprints" ?

This seems like more battle space prep- You know- you really should hate Russia so when the Deep State begins its war against them , you are on board.

No, No I am not on board.

 We have to go to war to protect the Petro-dollar? What happened to no blood for oil? I am certainly not willing to trade my son's or daughter's  blood for a few more years of a doomed system. We had our chance to keep and maintain a currency  for the world , and we squandered it. WE proved we don't deserve it, and if its Russia or China or some coalition  who want a go,  then we should cut a deal with them so we aren't totally irrelevant in the coming scheme of things.

Trump becoming blatantly Anti-russian?  Leading a bi-partisan coalition against  Putin? What planet are you on? For that to happen Trump has to become head of the Deep State, and I ave seen enough blowback from the Deep State now that I believe Trump genuinely  isn't one of them.

Offline Libertas

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Re: Russia- Friend or Foe?
« Reply #1 on: March 10, 2017, 11:42:36 AM »
Yup.  Which is why I am gravitating toward the conclusion that the reason he tapped Huntsman for Ambassador to Russia is a bit of gamesmanship on his part.
We are now where The Founders were when they faced despotism.

Offline Glock32

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Re: Russia- Friend or Foe?
« Reply #2 on: March 10, 2017, 02:00:30 PM »
I don't see Russia as either Friend or Foe.  They are a near-parity nation that have their own interests and agenda; sometimes their interests conflict with ours and sometimes they coincide with ours.  I would pursue a policy of trying to maximize the latter and avoiding/mitigating the former as long as our own interests do not suffer by doing so.

It's very clear that the American government-within-the-government has gone to elaborate ends to concoct this perception of Russia manipulating everything.  What do liberals always do when they lose?  They seek out any explanation that will absolve the ideology itself.  The narrative can never be that liberal policies and ideas were rejected by the people.  It has to always be some personal failure of a candidate, or in this case those dastardly Russkies meddling in our elections.  Same thing whenever communist regimes predictably turn out to be miserable hell holes -- "Oh, that wasn't real communism anyway!" or "It would have worked beautifully if the right people were in charge!"  Their apologists and advocates seem to have an infinite supply of Do Overs as far as liberalism is concerned.
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Offline Libertas

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Re: Russia- Friend or Foe?
« Reply #3 on: March 10, 2017, 04:14:55 PM »
We should be tag-teaming Jihadis into oblivion!  But no...the DemonRats need a scapegoat to hide their massive and rampant incompetence and the Deep State needs it fund-raising boogieman cause, well...I guess China is well, not to be messed with...
We are now where The Founders were when they faced despotism.

Offline Libertas

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Re: Russia- Friend or Foe?
« Reply #4 on: March 20, 2017, 07:28:09 AM »
More proof the Deep State is trying to goad the dogs of war...

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-03-19/another-senior-russian-official-has-died

...they must figure at some point Putin will tire of having his people snuffed...up the ante and give the Deep State what they desire...

Talk about a straight up batshyt crazy game!!!   ::speechless::

They are the real enemy to our Liberty!
We are now where The Founders were when they faced despotism.

Offline richb

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Re: Russia- Friend or Foe?
« Reply #5 on: March 22, 2017, 06:20:35 PM »
The Russians are neither friends nor foes. 

There will be conflict between politicians of different countries no matter,  that's why the world needs to get rid of politicians.   That would end,,,,  probably all wars.    Common people never hate the common people of other places.   It's the great lie of politicians.

The US forgets that not everyone is going to do what we want them too.   In fact we can count on nobody doing what we want them too.     Outside of Britain and Israel,  most countries really don't want to help us out much.     And even Israel spies on us,  as many want to do them harm.     

Offline Libertas

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Re: Russia- Friend or Foe?
« Reply #6 on: March 23, 2017, 07:18:07 AM »
The system the Founders designed is as close to optimal as anything before or since...but it is dependent upon a people militantly jealous of their Liberty and Judeo-Christian heritage and self-educated in facts and logic, moral and ethical leadership of a non-careerist nature from that same society and an unyielding commitment to the Constitution and the God-given rights of man espoused in the Declaration of Independence.

Any one of those starts to falter and you have the start of a problem, more than two of those start to buckle you have serious issues begging for swift resolution...all start to crumble and you have starting over.  Guess where we're at?

And if we can no longer be that beacon for the world, well...it's no wonder they're all going to shyt either.

People like nations will never be 100% like-minded, but where it makes sense to ally with others to keep real wolves at bay makes sense, problem is so very few anywhere are making any sense on any issue today...
We are now where The Founders were when they faced despotism.

Offline Alphabet Soup

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Re: Russia- Friend or Foe?
« Reply #7 on: March 23, 2017, 09:11:54 AM »
Good post Libertas. Multiculturalism is killing our nation - literally. We purposely set loose upon our lands peoples who hate us and want to see us dead. We deliberately stuck our heads in the lion's mouth because we told ourselves it wasn't a lion (who would likely do what lions do) but rather, a cute, cuddly creature in tune with its surroundings (what's your problem?!).

I personally believe that it is too late and too far gone to correct. You can't un-ring a bell and you can't un-rot an apple. It would require a Herculean effort - even if we didn't have millions of moronic lefties unalterably opposed.

So lets do the next best thing. If we're bound for purgatory with no chance of redemption let's demand the window seats and make the morons sit at the back of the bus!

 

Offline Libertas

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Re: Russia- Friend or Foe?
« Reply #8 on: March 23, 2017, 11:27:43 AM »
Can I have a high perch with excellent sight lines and concealment?   :D
We are now where The Founders were when they faced despotism.