Posted on 09/03/2014 10:10:51 PM PDT by elhombrelibre
he Islamic State is a nasty problem that can be remedied if its neighbors, assisted by the United States, decide to do so. Vladimir Putin’s fascist revival is a crisis that tests the West’s capacity to decide.
Putin’s serial amputations of portions of Ukraine, which began with his fait accompli in Crimea, will proceed, and succeed, until his appetite is satiated. Then the real danger will begin.
Suppose Ukraine is merely his overture for the destruction of NATO, the nemesis of his Soviet memory. Then what might be his version of the Gleiwitz radio-station episode 75 years ago?
(Excerpt) Read more at nationalreview.com ...
I just realized that George Will is The Church Lady from SNL.
Idiot.
Putin is an autocrat. He is trying to reconstitute Russia’s borders to what he thinks they should be, he’ll push them out to where the old Soviet borders were, if he can. He is trying to return Russia to the level on the world stage he thinks it should have.
He does play hardball both internally and internationally. I’m not convinced the word “Hitlerian” really applies, though.
Russia has thermonuclear weapons, as do we. Nothing seriously upsetting is going to happen between us unless one or both governments has a ruler that is insane. I don’t believe that Mr. Putin or Mr. Obama are insane, no matter what their many faults might be. ISIS, on the other hand, is not only run by the insane, it is staffed by the insane.
Putin’s actions thus far have been limited to territories which have a large endemic Russian population or were once part of Russia. He has not yet shown a desire to incorporate other territory into Russia proper. Hitler of course not only attempted to conquer all of Europe but had genocidal policies. Comparing Putin to Hitler is not a valid exercise. Historically it would be more appropriate to compare him to Oliver Cromwell.
Putin is a sick puppy.
You do realize that Cromwell committed mass murders. And I don’t see the Putin is Cromwell comparison as very similar since the motives for most of Cromwell’s actions were battles between royalist supported by the Church of England and parliament supported more by the Puritans and other low church Christians.
He’s a Russian imperialist driven by ethnic chauvinism. However, this is a new schtick for him. He, like his father, served the soviet state as a secret policeman. Vlad did it for 16 years, achieved the rank of Colonel, and only left the position when the USSR collapsed (thank you, President Reagan). There is no reason to believe that had the USSR survived Putin wouldn’t be working to maintain the GULAG and all the other manifestations of atheistic communism. Now, we see him donning a new hat. He’s fooling the gullible and those who admire the Machiavellian, Nietzsche type approach to politics. Strength and Real Politic without Christian virtue. He shoots journalist, prevents free assembly and opposition, appoints a compliant church hierarchy beholden to him, and appoints himself president for life. What part of that is conservative?
This is quite a godwin joke, but it is close. I don't see Vladimir Putin trying to put Jews in gas chambers.
Putin will not broadcast his intentions. But communists have shown throughout their history that they are interested in expanding whenever feasible. We should expect that of Putin until he proves otherwise.
Splitting hairs.
Putin had critical journalists and opposition politicians murdered like Hitler did, and engaged in an “ethnic war” in Chechnya, so your protests are misplaced - the comparison is valid.
Hitler was all about race and revenge for Versailles. Putin wants hegemony and resources. Big difference.
Putin’s using Russian chauvinist cant about the Russian people, the volk, in Hitler’s language. Putin’s really more of an opportunist. Hitler was a sincere and evil demogague. Putin is comforbable as a KGB communist or as a neo-ultra-nationalist crank.
Neoconservative navel gazing....
You’d have said the same thing about Reagan if you were born when he was president.
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