Former President Donald Trump today praised the “savvy” of Vladimir Putin, calling his invasion of Ukraine “genius.” The ex-president told a TV news program, “Putin declares a big portion of the Ukraine–of Ukraine.
In my humble opinion, not committing troops is a mistake. Putting 25,000 US troops in a forward position would have prevented a Russian assault.
The US can't reverse course all of a sudden. After 70 years of prohibiting major nations that were defeated in WWII from having an army, we cannot all of a sudden force them (and many other weaker nations) to have instantly strong armies. Cash and weapons are no substitute for the effectiveness of a well trained military We need to be a part of any force that engages Russia because we provide the technical expertise and also the inertia. I do not see a coalition of other countries coming together to push back Russia without US backing and US troops. This is probably best done through NATO, but NATO will be counting on American troops, dollars, hardware, and expertise.
Besides the above point, we do not want a militarized Europe. It is much better as an economic engine than a military one.
Yes, Trump is a sycophant, and worse! I am enjoying the articles Tom - keep them coming!
In a perfect world, I would agree. However, Trump continues to drive much of how Republicans respond to today's events. The world needs a united front from America's political leaders. Putin can't just "wait us out" and hope that nativist Republicans gain control of Congress. Putin's invasion of Ukraine is a defining event in and of itself. But look beyond. If Putin gets away with an invasion of Ukraine on the basis of a false historical narrative and a phony claim of security interests, how then would the world stand up to China if it invades Taiwan? By justifying -- praising, even -- Putin's attack on Ukraine, Trump has paved the way for more international thuggery. Time for Republicans to stand up and be counted.
In my humble opinion, not committing troops is a mistake. Putting 25,000 US troops in a forward position would have prevented a Russian assault.
The US can't reverse course all of a sudden. After 70 years of prohibiting major nations that were defeated in WWII from having an army, we cannot all of a sudden force them (and many other weaker nations) to have instantly strong armies. Cash and weapons are no substitute for the effectiveness of a well trained military We need to be a part of any force that engages Russia because we provide the technical expertise and also the inertia. I do not see a coalition of other countries coming together to push back Russia without US backing and US troops. This is probably best done through NATO, but NATO will be counting on American troops, dollars, hardware, and expertise.
Besides the above point, we do not want a militarized Europe. It is much better as an economic engine than a military one.
Yes, Trump is a sycophant, and worse! I am enjoying the articles Tom - keep them coming!
In an otherwise astute evaluation of this situation, Trump doesn't deserve this much attention
In a perfect world, I would agree. However, Trump continues to drive much of how Republicans respond to today's events. The world needs a united front from America's political leaders. Putin can't just "wait us out" and hope that nativist Republicans gain control of Congress. Putin's invasion of Ukraine is a defining event in and of itself. But look beyond. If Putin gets away with an invasion of Ukraine on the basis of a false historical narrative and a phony claim of security interests, how then would the world stand up to China if it invades Taiwan? By justifying -- praising, even -- Putin's attack on Ukraine, Trump has paved the way for more international thuggery. Time for Republicans to stand up and be counted.