We Continually Underestimate Russian President Putin

Real Clear Defense ^ | Oct. 4, 2015 | Daniel Gouré

[Twotone]

A few months ago I attended a two day conference on the subject of the future of U.S.-Russian relations, attended by an impressive array of officials from Administrations past and present and experts on things Russian. One of the subjects discussed was the possibilities for additional, even more dangerous crises between our two countries. There were lots of potential flash points identified, beyond the current crisis in Ukraine, ranging from the Baltics to Kaliningrad, Moldova, Kazakhstan and the Arctic. But for each of these there were also “cooler” heads who argued that it would be stupid for Putin to initiate a new crisis in any of these places.

[GilGil]

I remember when Obama and the Europeans were levying sanctions against Putin for his incursions in Ukraine.

Russia was going to be crushed.

Instead Putin is crushing Obama making him into his bitch.

Amazing!

[hinckley buzzard]

The parallels between now and the 1930's roll on. War weary and traumatized Western Democracies turned a blind eye toward Nazi aggression, telling themselves that after all, Germany had lost the war and was deeply in debt, and its military de-fanged by humiliating treaties. They were in no condition to mount new offensives, said the wise men of Europe, they just wanted to recoup some of their lost self-respect.

France had an Army far superior to Germany's in 1936, and could have crushed the German militia which marched into Rhineland, but they didn't think Hitler meant anything but some chest-beating for domestic consumption. Further, it would be stupid for Hitler to threaten his neighbors to the East, after all they were in an alliance with the powerful West.

So the experts of 1936 told themselves, and all agreed knowingly, except that extremist Churchill, and no one paid him any attention anyway.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

Experts in the current administration? Bunch of amateurs top to bottom.

[fini]

"1980 was a different time, when people were more clear headed, ..."

You are correct if you look at the conservative side of the house, but the Democrats back then were for giving in at every step. If my memory serves me correctly, the liberals openly advocated that the communists were right and America was wrong.

Nothing has changed, except the rot has spread.

Reagan was belittled and considered a simpleton by the elites (even in his own party). The press was openly dismissive of Reagan and since there was no altermate media, that is all that the public heard.

The difference was that the majority of the American public had gone through serious wars (WWII, Korea and Viet Nam) and lived under the threat of the Russian Bear. Consequently, they ignored the press.

[ETL]

“For 16 years Putin was an officer in the KGB, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel before he retired to enter politics in his native Saint Petersburg in 1991.

He moved to Moscow in 1996 and joined President Boris Yeltsin’s administration where he rose quickly, becoming Acting President on 31 December 1999 when Yeltsin unexpectedly resigned. Putin won the subsequent 2000 presidential election, despite widespread accusations of vote-rigging,[3] and was reelected in 2004.”

“On 25 July 1998, Yeltsin appointed Vladimir Putin head of the FSB (one of the successor agencies to the KGB), the position Putin occupied until August 1999. He became a permanent member of the Security Council of the Russian Federation on 1 October 1998 and its Secretary on 29 March 1999.”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Putin

[Talisker]

These are such bizarre deceitful times we live in.

Indeed. Dear God, indeed.