James et al, I am not an apologist for this Administrations policies - far from it. However, lets take into account that America is tired of war and direct unilateral actions in Ukraine would not be wise given that Putin is a thug intent on reconstituting Russian prowess in world affairs, and especially his perceived direct spheres of influence in the Russian near abroard. Ukraine (or parts thereof) may already be lost, but the immediate peripheries to Russia and Ukraine that are members of NATO are not! This is where U.S. strategy must focus, for now. The Baltic States, Poland, Czech & Slovak Republics, Germany, and the others of the former Eastern Bloc that are NATO Friendly is where a new strategy of Russian Containment should be established. Yes, strong sanctions are a part of this new strategy of Russian Containment and in the short-term shifting resources will cause some hardship on Europe, but in the long-term it will isolate Russia and be effective. My graduate thesis was on The Historical Soviet Perspective of European Integration - Political, Economic, & Military. Historically, Russia has been xenophobic about being surrounded and isolated by its neighbors. This is their cultural weakness and we should exploit it punitively for behaviors outside internationally accepted norms. Militarily, yes we should bolster miltary aid and support to the NATO members in the immediate Near Abroad to Russia, including operational deployments of the former missile defense plans in Poland and the Czech Republic, and elsewhere. Economically, we should isolate Russia in the banking sectors and critical resource sectors such as fossil fuels (crude oil, natural gas, etc.), Politically, Russia should be expelled from the G-8, WTO, IMF/WB, and shunned and expelled from various other International organizations as a pariah. Moreover, the EU and NATO must be convinced to be part of this coalition against the actions of Russia in the Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia. Culturally, Russian Visas should be cancelled and Russian citizens sent home, across the board. Certainly, Russia will reciprocate where and when possible, but that is a risk and sacrifice that should be taken. Putin is a KGB thug and bully. We all learned growiing up that the only remedy for dealing with bullies is to stand up to them -- this is no different. No one wants this New Cold War with Russia to go hot, but we must prepare for every contingency and build a new strategy of containment that conveys to Putin and Russia that appeasement is not our strategy and that a Russian hegemon will not be tolerated. Respectfully, Scott Cerrone, Lt Col, USAF (Ret) AmEmbassy Moscow 1991 - 1993
Posted on: Sun, 31 Aug 2014 16:57:17 +0000
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