We Need to Take a Tougher Line With Putin

Newsweek ^ | November 1, 2015 | William Courtney and Donald Jensen

[Navy Patriot]

In responding to Russian thrusts in Ukraine and Syria, the West has relied on economic sanctions or conceded initiative to Moscow. Experience shows that direct measures-ones that target troublesome behavior-are more likely to be effective.

In Ukraine and Syria, the West seems less sure of its aims and less committed to achieving them. In contrast, Russia appears to have clearer goals, cares more about outcomes, lies closer to the contested theater and acts with dispatch.

This was also true when the USSR invaded Afghanistan in 1979. President Jimmy Carter responded by seeking to organize a boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, but only some Western allies went along. Carter halted the export of U.S. grain to the USSR, but U.S. farmers were outraged and a year later President Reagan canceled the embargo.

[Navy Patriot]

Reagan also won the Cold War without firing a shot and enabled Russia to move away from Communism, while Carter created the prototype for Fascist Islamic terrorism ISIS, and the World Caliphate.

Yeah, let's go with Carter!

[JudyinCanada]

Our dashing new Prime Minister is going to “look Putin in the eye”. The world’s worries are over. You’re welcome.

[1rudeboy]

NEOKHANNN!

[donozark]

Will he see Putin’s soul?

[MortMan]

First, we need to take a tougher line with Obama.

[greene66]

Why fight Putin? At least he’s standing up to the Islamic crazies, the global-warming nuts, and the depraved promoters of the homosexual agenda. Unlike the craven and sicko leaders here in the West, who embrace their own cultural suicide.

[Cicero]

You beat me to it. We need to take a tougher line with that evil Muslim traitor, Obama, who always favors the wrong side.

[mac_truck]

Yeah, we better stop Russia before its too late...

[GoldenPup]

Get tougher with Putin. Right. Instead of throwing marchmellows at him, we will now throw cupcakes!

[DesertRhino]

“In responding to Russian thrusts in Ukraine and Syria...”

“Thrusts” responding to an EU run Nazi putsch in the first case, and to a sunni jihadi genocide that literally mimicks Nazi Germany in the second case.

I think we should have an alliance rather than a response. Our country supports the most depraved actors around the world now. This is not the 1980s where we were the good guys.

[Bon mots]

Who?

[Navy Patriot]

Our dashing new Prime Minister is going to "look Putin in the eye". The world's worries are over. You're welcome.

He better have quite a stare, Russia has opened the Northern Passage, modernized it's Northern bases, and Icebreaker Fleet, and claimed the Arctic as Russian territory.

[isthisnickcool]

Putin is killing the right folks. We need to send him more ammo.

[Navy Patriot]

Alert to the Homofascista Islamonazi Maiden shill pinglist.

Newsweek needs help!

[Navy Patriot]

I looked for one named “Hussein” but didn’t find him.

[Leaning Right]

I think we should have an alliance rather than a response.

That will go down in history as a significant lost opportunity: A U.S.-Russian alliance against radical islam (and maybe against China, as well).

And that alliance probably could have been done when Yeltsin was the Russian president. But the U.S. decided to embark upon a program of petty bullying and lecturing instead.

But Putin as an ally? What do you do when your "ally" decides he wants to occupy Estonia (something Yeltsin had no interest in)?

As of now, I say just leave Putin alone. Don't get in his way, and maybe even give him a little help, in regards to Syria.

[Navy Patriot]

Putin is killing the right folks. We need to send him more ammo

We do, his guys just pick it up where the Syrian "rebels" dropped it when they ran away to Germany.

[MNJohnnie]

The Cold War is over. Pity so many in the political class cannot grasp that.

[jpsb]

I think Canada still has a destroyer so Russia better watch out. I double checked that and yes Canada does indeed still have a destroyer, the HMCS Iroquois. However she is to be decommission sometime this year.

Hmmm, Russia has an aircraft carrier, 6 cruisers and 16 destroyers.

Maybe Canada better rethink that getting tuff with Russia thing.

[jpsb]

"And that alliance probably could have been done when Yeltsin was the Russian president. But the U.S. decided to embark upon a program of petty bullying and lecturing instead."

Exactly correct and Bush 1 is to blame for that. Clinton made things even worse by siding with the Muslims in Kosovo. Recovering from those two huge mistakes will not be easy to do.

[caww]

...."I say just leave Putin alone. Don't get in his way, and maybe even give him a little help, in regards to Syria.".....

Yes indeed....

[1rudeboy]

Absolutely! We should align ourselves with a country that makes a habit of invading its small neighbors. Because ISIS.

[Navy Patriot]

The Cold War is over. Pity so many in the political class cannot grasp that.

They're desperate to regain their power by risking and sacrificing someone else.

[1rudeboy]

The Cold War is over. Pity so many in the political class cannot grasp that.

Which would be funny, if not so sad, seeing that the Russian Foreign Ministry says the Cold War is on.

[MNJohnnie]

Umm no. Soviet Russian does not have millions of conscripted slave Ukrainians and Eastern Europeans in thousands of armored vehicles on the Elba river now.

Cold War is over, they lost.

[TomasUSMC]

I’d say use this shootdown and killing of 200 Russians by ISIS to unite Putin with US against all moslum terrorist including Iran, Hezzbolah Hamas,.....maybe the new House Speaker....

[WilliamIII]

We’ve invaded more countries than Russia has, since 2003

[WilliamIII]

Stop with the disinformation. The Russkies you misquote said Obama is restarting the Cold War

[McGruff]

Ouch. I thought Republicans were supposed to be the evil warmongers?

[1rudeboy]

How many have we made states, in the colonial sense?

[Navy Patriot]

I'd say use this shootdown and killing of 200 Russians by ISIS to unite Putin with US against all moslum terrorist including Iran, Hezzbolah Hamas,...

First, a little history.

Reagan won the cold war by being both tough and honorable, then getting the Russians to trust him by offering the Star Wars anti missile technology to them, for free.

Russia would be as protected by their own military as we would be by ours.

Since then, the US Government has become the world's most dangerous untrustworthy backstabber, and the Russians know it.

We may not have the opportunity to try your idea, even if the Homofascist Progressive Socialist DemoRat regime would allow it.

In any case, we must wait until the Russians determine the cause of the crash. It may not be an ISIS MANPAD (altitude), worse it may be a bomb planted by a Soros funded, Ukrainian Maiden Fascist terrorist before takeoff.

[1rudeboy]

Sorry, I forgot I was dealing with a Blame America Firstâ„¢ conservative.

[1rudeboy]

Gorbo wanted Reagan to scrap SDI in exchange for a deal at Reykjavík, and Reagan told him to piss off. A little history.

[Navy Patriot]

Alert to the Homofascista Islamonazi Maiden shill pinglist.

1rudeboy needs help!

[McGruff]

What do Ukraine, Syria and Libya have in common?

[Navy Patriot]

Gorbo wanted Reagan to scrap SDI in exchange for a deal at Reykjavak, and Reagan told him to piss off. A little selectively incomplete history.

There, fixed it for ya.

Alert to the Homofascista Islamonazi Maiden shill pinglist.

1rudeboy needs revisionist history help!

[1rudeboy]

Is that what they teach in Russian public schools, nowadays?

[nomad]

So many arm chair ‘GI Joes’ too. Maybe they need to just go play with their actions sets, Cobra Commander awaits.

[elpadre]

No - We need to take a tougher stand with ISLAM!

[elpadre]

No - We need to take a tougher stand with ISLAM!

[Navy Patriot]

No - We need to take a tougher stand with ISLAM!

[bgill]

No, we need to leave well enough alone. He’s taking care of the business we didn’t have the guts to do.

[Yollopoliuhqui]

NATO - Your globalist oligarch loan shark leg breakers at work.

[Grzegorz 246]

” “Thrusts�€ responding to an EU run Nazi putsch in the first case”

How come when Russia has more neo-nazis than any other country in the world ?

[marvel5]

Exactly!