At the risk of being attacked from every side, can I suggest that it may not be in America’s best interest to make Russia an enemy? I believe that Mitt Romney was right when said that Russia is “without question our No. 1 geopolitical foe.” He was ridiculed by Obama and the press for it. But now it appears that most in the political class has become Romney on steroids, seeking to outdo each other in condemning Russia and Putin. Part of that is reaction to the fact that Putin has been handing Obama defeat after defeat in the geopolitical arena, from Crimea to the Middle East. But while it may make politicians look bold, I don’t think it’s in any one’s interest to start a war with Russia.
The fact is that the U.S. and Russia have foes in common; the Russians have their own Islamic problem. In addition, Russia, despite the fact that it has beaten Obama like a rented mule whenever it saw an opportunity, it’s still a poor nation with a shrinking population and an authoritarian, dictatorial, political system that makes Chicago look clean.
The Russian rulers are no longer ideological communists so we have an opportunity to find common ground, like Nixon in China. If Trump wins there is actually a great opportunity for an opening to Russia that makes even more sense than the opening to China.
1 comment:
let Russia have the Bosporus.
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