Squandering Reagan’s Cold War victory

[Right_in_Virginia]

Squandering Reagan’s Cold War victory
American Thinker, Aug 1, 2022, Jared Peterson

Russia is “a gas station masquerading as a country,” the noted warmonger John McCain once said. This astoundingly disrespectful statement by a major US political figure says much about the condescending and diplomatically destructive attitudes of US elites towards Russia since 1991.

But Russia’s size, vast stores of critical resources, military might (especially nukes), and tenacious cultural conservatism mean that it will be a significant force in the world for some time. The West could have benefited greatly from a peaceful integration of this enormous country into Europe, but it chose another route. More honestly, the United States chose another route.

After the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia intensely desired and sought acceptance by Europe and integration into the Western security system. Boris Yeltsin, even more than Peter the Great, was a Western groupie. Throughout the 90’s Russia did nothing to cause the rest of Europe to fear a possible turn to Russian expansionism. In fact, no responsible European or American had any such fears. Given all this, there was every reason for the West to welcome Russia into the Western world.

But the West, led by the United States, refused Russia’s admission.

Instead, it commenced a 30-year policy of gratuitously provocative military expansion towards Russia’s Western border. This triumphalist policy, scathingly condemned by America’s greatest diplomat and Russia expert, George Kennan, was the product of the USMIIDNeocon (United States Military Industrial Intelligence Diplomat Neocon) establishment’s desire to retain a militarily significant foe, to conclusively establish the United States as the sole world superpower, and, to a lesser extent, to placate ancient antipathies toward Russia.

All of this was a tragedy.



Read more: https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2022/08/squandering_reagans_cold_war_victory.html#ixzz7ajfDkZud

[Right_in_Virginia]

FTA

Rather than long ago embracing a generous and enduring peace, the United States after 1991 chose to gamble on imposing an American imperium on a prostrate Russia. Much as the allied powers at Versailles in 1919 vindictively tried to permanently weaken Germany. Ungenerous triumphalism failed at Versailles with Germany, and since 1991 it is failing again, this time with Russia.

The United States made a bet for an imperium, and instead got a needless and dangerous war. Rather than gaining an imperium, we lost a potentially valuable economic and military ally in our ongoing competition with the West’s greatest competitor, Communist China.

[DefiantMassRINO]

Pre-9/11, entrenched Cold War institutions' existence were threatened by the Peace Dividend.

What would be the justification for NATO's continued existence?

What would be the justification for the US to retain a military presence in Europe?

What would be the justification for maintaining long-range nuclear strike capabilities?

NATO, led by the United States, inserted itself into conflicts that had nothing to do with the Alliance - Bosnia, Kosovo, Libya, and Afghanistan - as the World Police, in place of the United Nations.

Ironically, Russia's naked agression against Ukraine re-invigorated an alliance seeking mission to justify its continued existence.

Way to go, Mad Vlad.  You strategically defeated yourself by invading Ukraine.

[Cyber Liberty]

Pre-9/11, entrenched Cold War institutions' existence were threatened by the Peace Dividend.

What would be the justification for NATO's continued existence?

What would be the justification for the US to retain a military presence in Europe?

What would be the justification for maintaining long-range nuclear strike capabilities?

NATO, led by the United States, inserted itself into conflicts that had nothing to do with the Alliance - Bosnia, Kosovo, Libya, and Afghanistan - as the World Police, in place of the United Nations.

Ironically, Russia's naked agression against Ukraine re-invigorated an alliance seeking mission to justify its continued existence.

Way to go, Mad Vlad.  You strategically defeated yourself by invading Ukraine.

I think that's a pretty good assessment of the relationship with Russia.  When he blew the chance at positively dealing with the Russians, GHW Bush proved in stark detail one of many differences between him and the Gipper.  He reneged on his tax pledge and was a European war monger, only two of the ways he sought to destroy Reagan's legacy.