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Not a Cold War, Not World War III: What to look for from Russia
Philadelphia Inquirer ^ | Apr 2018 | Trudy Rubin

Posted on 06/26/2018 1:32:18 PM PDT by CondoleezzaProtege

Is the United States embroiled in a new Cold War with Russia? Are we on the verge of WWIII? After a week in Moscow and conversations with several Russian foreign-policy analysts, I think the answer to both questions is negative.

“We are in a hybrid war, a successor to the Cold War,” says Dmitri Trenin “But don’t call it Cold War 2.0; otherwise you will confuse things.” America and Russia are jousting on new battlefields – information space, cyberspace, economic battles.

What then is one to make of Vladimir Putin’s military interventions in Ukraine or his venture in Syria? Or of the Russian leader’s state of the nation speech March 1, in which he touted new nuclear weapons, complete with a promotional video showing an undetectable cruise missile landing in Florida?

What is Putin’s foreign-policy strategy?

Some analysts here insist he seeks recognition as America’s equal, a desire born of the psychology of his generation that still sees the world in terms of a U.S.-Russian divide.

But others argue Putin is trying multiple approaches – hybrid war – to burnish Russian’s international image in a world where he thinks the United States is on the decline. “He expects the United States to gradually lose its hegemonous position in the world, and as it does, there are plenty of opportunities,” says Lukyanov.

In other words, in the post-Cold War era, the Kremlin will poke and prod where there is no resistance, and pull back where there is.

(Excerpt) Read more at philly.com ...


TOPICS: History; Military/Veterans; Society
KEYWORDS: coldwar; mediawingofthednc; partisanmediashills; presstitutes; putin; russia; russiantrollsarehere; smearmachine; trump; trumprussia
I think Trump's America is a test to see if the West recognizes that conservative and Christian principles can not only thrive in a free republic, but serve as the basis for one.

And Putin's Russia is a test to see how long Russians will indulge their Soviet and tsarist tendencies with Orthodox wrapping, in the name of sticking it to the decadent West.

John Bolton is heading to Moscow this week w/ members of Congress not far behind to arrange a rumored Trump-Putin summit, and maybe catch some World Cup soccer.

1 posted on 06/26/2018 1:32:18 PM PDT by CondoleezzaProtege
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

When Russia starts harassing Americans sitting at restaurants then I will worry about them...


2 posted on 06/26/2018 1:36:19 PM PDT by cgbg (Hidden behind the social justice warrior mask is corruption and sexual deviance.)
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To: cgbg

Trump and Putin are best buddies according to the media but we are at war with them.

Of course we are


3 posted on 06/26/2018 1:37:16 PM PDT by AppyPappy (Don't mistake your dorm political discussions with the desires of the nation)
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

“What then is one to make of Vladimir Putin’s military interventions in Ukraine or his venture in Syria?”

Yeah, a NATO expansion up to his very border including plans to make Sevastopol a NATO navy base, and a scheme to remove Russia’s decades long ally in Syria. An Ally that gives them what is basically their only overseas base.

So yeah, what is one to make of that? Complete freaking mystery.....to a neocon.


4 posted on 06/26/2018 1:38:11 PM PDT by DesertRhino (Dog is man's best friend, and moslems hate dogs. Add that up. ....)
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

Or he could just keep focused on leveraging his incredibly smart people and wealth of natural resources to build-up his own country to greatness, and keep his nose out of other peoples’ business.

Yeah, I know. Will never happen.


5 posted on 06/26/2018 1:44:07 PM PDT by Buckeye McFrog
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To: AppyPappy

Whatever form of government should come into power in the Russian Federation, or its predecessors, the Soviet Union or Czarist Russia, the Russian hegemony was always going to be a rival to the United States. Whatever else may be said of Russians, they have, to some degree or another, much of the same drive and initiative to carve a nation out of sometimes very inhospitable conditions and terrain, that formed and extended the United States in its early formative years.

But once the nation was carved out, the competitive spirit did not vanish. The Russians, much like the Americans, could call upon vast natural resources to extend their international presence in ways that imposed upon economics and trade. This has resulted in more than a few instances, the US and the various incarnations of the Russian government in direct confrontation, sometimes with severe displacements. The Russians have always had great interest in disrupting the internal operations of the United States, to gain some advantage to themselves, and to some degree, these attempts to exert control within the US itself have led to some pretty trying times.

Trump and Putin best buddies? No, but they recognize in each other a formidable adversary, in a way the several of our past Presidents (with the distinct exception of Ronaldus Magnus) could not or would not. And FDR was probably the worst of the bunch, who looked upon the Soviet Union as a possible model for the first attempts to assert a “command and control” regime upon the US, as shown by the National Recovery Act and the New Deal, both of which prolonged what would been a short economic turndown, and turned it into the Great Depression.

It took the Second World War to pull the US out of that depression, which frankly was much worse in 1938 than it was in 1933, when FDR and his “brain trust” took office.


6 posted on 06/26/2018 2:07:27 PM PDT by alloysteel ("No" is a complete sentence. On so many levels.)
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To: alloysteel

The problem was not that the Russians were Communist, but that the Communists were Russian :-)


7 posted on 06/26/2018 2:09:39 PM PDT by RedStateRocker (Nuke Mecca, deport all illegals, abolish the DEA, IRS and ATF.)
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To: alloysteel

“Trump and Putin best buddies? No, but they recognize in each other a formidable adversary, in a way the several of our past Presidents (with the distinct exception of Ronaldus Magnus) could not or would not.”


I agree with your assessment, but I would add that Trump and Putin also can look beyond the traditional rivalry that the US has had with Russia/the USSR, and try to find areas of mutual cooperation in which both nations’ interests can be served. I can think of 2 areas off the top of my head in which such cooperation would be desirable: First, WRT China - which is a rival to both the US and Russia. Second, same for the radical Moslem countries. WRT the latter: yes, Russia is aiding some of them, but it is a short term thing. Iran hates Russia almost as much as the US because Russia is either Godless, or it is a variation on Christianity - and either way, when the opportunity comes to foment trouble for the Russian government without too much cost, Iran will be right there.

Trump and Bolton may surprise the world with some kind of cooperation (rather than just a dialing down of tensions, which would be fine all by itself). I am hoping for that...we’ll never be great friends in my lifetime, but we can begin to cooperate and become more friendly through such cooperation and through trade, and I think that this is the way to go. We have a lot in common, starting with being largely white, largely Christian, scientifically-oriented powers of continental size, with Chinese and Moslem enemies. Cooperation will benefit both, and can lead to friendliness.


8 posted on 06/26/2018 2:20:34 PM PDT by Ancesthntr ("The right to buy weapons is the right to be f Vanceree." A. E. van Vogt)
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

“What is Putin’s foreign-policy strategy?

Some analysts here insist he seeks recognition as America’s equal, a desire born of the psychology of his generation that still sees the world in terms of a U.S.-Russian divide.”


Well, they’re NOT our equal. The US economy is roughly 12 times the size https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(nominal) of Russia’s, and we print the world’s reserve currency. With a signature on a piece of paper, the US President can do a great deal of good for, or a great deal of harm to, Russia’s economy - that’s about oil and natural gas, which provide about 2/3 of Russia’s foreign currency earnings (the same as in the 1980s, when Reagan cut the USSR off at the knees by guaranteeing Saudi security in exchange for quintupling oil production).

Russia is a Third World country with a First World nuclear arsenal. It cannot sustain a prolonged arms race, nor keep up with us in commerce.

What we SHOULD do is to find areas of common interest with Russia, and cooperate there. That, and expand trade. The combination of the two will make us friendlier (not friends, but friendlier), and both reduce the possibility of conflict and boost the chance for actual friendship way down the line (as in 1-2 generations).


9 posted on 06/26/2018 2:29:05 PM PDT by Ancesthntr ("The right to buy weapons is the right to be f Vanceree." A. E. van Vogt)
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

effin’ idjits don’t know the difference between ‘war” and “bidness”.

Both the USA and Russia are in business. Sometimes our interests coincide....sometimes not.

But to call it a “war” is to confuse the issue...and consequently the thinking about it.


10 posted on 06/26/2018 2:32:00 PM PDT by mo (If you understand, no explanation is needed. If you don't understand, no explanation is possible.)
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

A bit more on the economic disparity between the US and Russia: with an economy 12x as large as Russia’s, 3.0% growth in the economy in one year equals 36% growth in Russia’s; if (as reports seem to indicate) our economy grows by 4.0%, then we are adding 48% of Russia’s economy to ours - in one year!

There IS no comparison between the two. Yes, occasionally Russia will pull a technological rabbit out of its hat (mainly in materials science), but by and large the US is not only leading, but pulling away both economically and technologically. Most of this is due to corruption in Russia, which is very akin to what is holding back the Mexican economy.


11 posted on 06/26/2018 2:38:08 PM PDT by Ancesthntr ("The right to buy weapons is the right to be free." A. E. van Vogt)
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To: elhombrelibre

Ping


12 posted on 06/26/2018 3:03:53 PM PDT by StoneWall Brigade
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