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Why Negotiations With Russia Seem So Difficult
The American Conservative ^ | 7/13/25 | George O'Neill

Posted on 07/13/2025 12:47:23 PM PDT by EnderWiggin1970

Russia is more than a millennium old with a long diplomatic history. Some of Russia’s difficulty may come from the U.S. elites’ ignorance of Russian history and its sensitivities to real or perceived threats of foreign invasion. Many Americans remember the huge drama which arose during the Kennedy presidency when the Soviets put a few missiles in Cuba. Foreign policy wonks still talk about how close we came to World War III.

Americans who do not know or acknowledge Russia’s history are unable to understand Russian thinking, thus compromising their ability to consummate agreements with Russia.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the U.S. political elites promised not to move NATO east into former Warsaw Pact countries. Every time another former Warsaw Pact nation was added into NATO, the Russians complained and the West shrugged off the complaints. They believed Russia was too weak due to their struggle to recover from the ruinous Soviet years. Washington’s attitude was, “So what are you going to do about it?”

U.S. leaders also have spent years engaging ad nauseam in threats to weaken or break up Russia, to ruin the Russian economy, to change the Russian regime—and, of course, have levied decades of never-ending sanctions. This behavior has eroded the trust necessary to negotiate in good faith.

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


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Government; Russia; Ukraine
KEYWORDS: nato; putinthewarpig; russia; russiansuicide; russiantrollfarm; ukraine; vladtheimploder; war
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Americans understandably view Russian-American relations through the framework of American media, which tends to downplay or ignore hostile and ill-conceived actions by US officials over the years. This article and the heavy sourcing it links to provides a more objective assessment that help see things from other perspectives.
1 posted on 07/13/2025 12:47:23 PM PDT by EnderWiggin1970
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To: EnderWiggin1970

Putin read Trump’s book is why...


2 posted on 07/13/2025 12:48:39 PM PDT by dpetty121263
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To: EnderWiggin1970

Zeeps here deny/ cannot understand this.


3 posted on 07/13/2025 12:55:28 PM PDT by A strike (unfortunately PDJT is continuing the UKUS v Russia war)
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To: EnderWiggin1970

A crock of S.

We overreacted when they “put a few missiles in Cuba.”

And we have to be sensitive to their thousand year old whatever.

They are a dangerous evil enemy country and they were dangerous when they were a communist dictatorship and put nuclear missiles on our doorstep.

Just wondering did they have a thousand year history of putting nuke missiles on the other side of the world?


4 posted on 07/13/2025 12:56:55 PM PDT by Williams (Thank God for the election of President Trump!)
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To: EnderWiggin1970
Yes, Russia has a long and fascinating history. They have been invaded countless times, and always prevailed. I hear some of the clueless dopes talking about Russia and I am dumbfounded by their ignorance.

5 posted on 07/13/2025 1:00:42 PM PDT by Governor Dinwiddie ( O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is gracious, and his mercy endures forever. — Psalm 106)
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To: EnderWiggin1970
Yes, Russia has a long and fascinating history. They have been invaded countless times, and always prevailed. I hear some of the clueless dopes talking about Russia and I am dumbfounded by their ignorance.

6 posted on 07/13/2025 1:00:42 PM PDT by Governor Dinwiddie ( O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is gracious, and his mercy endures forever. — Psalm 106)
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To: A strike

Yeah too stoopid to understand the higher Russian culture. Those Russians are the height of sophistication and we too dumb.
How dare we stupid Americans even question those leaders of the Western world.

Just hilarious that jackasses worship a backwards dictatorial enemy and go on like fools that people who stand up for the United States of America are just too dumb to follow superior Russian reasoning.

Same as when we just didn’t understand that Nazi Germany needed “living room” and to reunite its historical German peoples.

Screw Russia it is a cesspool compared to us.


7 posted on 07/13/2025 1:02:02 PM PDT by Williams (Thank God for the election of President Trump!)
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To: EnderWiggin1970

Sorry, this is claptrap. I followed the links. One of them leads to this propaganda screed:

https://www.laprogressive.com/war-and-peace/weaken-post-cold-war-russia

LA Progressive: Dick and Sharon edit and publish the Hollywood Progressive and the LA Progressive. They also founded and host The Left Coast Forum — an annual convening of progressive activists, scholars, organizers, documentarians, media organizations, and others who work to understand and restructure systems of oppression.

I also have low faith in this apologist author: George D. O’Neill, Jr., is a member of the board of directors of the American Ideas Institute, which publishes The American Conservative, and an artist who lives in rural Florida.

No sale.


8 posted on 07/13/2025 1:06:41 PM PDT by Sequoyah101 (Donald John Trump. First man to be Elected to the Presidency THREE times since FDR.)
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To: Governor Dinwiddie

Yeah Russia always prevails, if you leave out a few minor losses like WWI, Crimean War, Russo Japanese War, Afghanistan. Not worth mentioning. Then you had the total collapse of the Soviet Union. A trifling matter.


9 posted on 07/13/2025 1:07:01 PM PDT by Williams (Thank God for the election of President Trump!)
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To: EnderWiggin1970

> Americans who do not know or acknowledge Russia’s history are unable to understand Russian thinking… <

That’s a very important point.

Many decades ago I took a political science course taught by a VERY anti-communist professor. Such professors probably don’t even exist today.

Anyway, this professor encouraged us to look at all sides of every issue, not just the side we grew up with. For example, he asked us to consider what Stalin would have thought when NATO was formed - remembering that NATO was formed before the Warsaw Pact was.

In my opinion, all this might help explain - but does not excuse - what Putin did. Putin rolled tanks across a sovereign border and started a terrible, bloody war.

There are no good guys in this conflict.


10 posted on 07/13/2025 1:07:09 PM PDT by Leaning Right (It's morning in America. Again.)
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To: EnderWiggin1970
It's not in the best interest for any country to have permanent alliances because the geopolitical situation changes over time. America's post-war strategy was correct in 1975, containing the Soviet Union, but is not relevant in 2025. Today, it would be more advantageous for the US to ally with Russia against Europe, but at the very minimum, the US should remain neutral in any Euro-Russian conflict.

11 posted on 07/13/2025 1:07:10 PM PDT by Right_Wing_Madman
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To: Right_Wing_Madman

Japan and Italy were our “allies” in WWI

China and Russia were our “allies” in WWII.


12 posted on 07/13/2025 1:09:38 PM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: EnderWiggin1970

“Americans understandably view Russian-American relations through the framework of American media”

That’s a BIG PROBLEM on this site and when given the facts regarding Russia or the situation in Ukraine they either deny it (’we never overthrew the elected Ukrainian government, Victoria Nuland was just out there with them because the weather was nice’), or laugh it off (’those Nazis, they’re just hyped up football fans’), and of course attack the messenger.

Anyway, I don’t post for them, as they already know the truth, but have other agendas here. I post for others, and anyone can find the information if they look (or ask me)...after all that’s how I found out.


13 posted on 07/13/2025 1:12:28 PM PDT by BobL
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To: Governor Dinwiddie

Dont forget Russia invaded China,Poland allied with nazis, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Georgia, Chechnya twice, Ukraine twice so they are not the innocent victims theu and many here portray.

If this is winning then carry on pitin, but remember this you are no longer the Soviet Union


14 posted on 07/13/2025 1:12:36 PM PDT by blitz128
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To: EnderWiggin1970

I am so tired of hearing how Russia is so old and cultured with a vast history of greatness and suffering.

Here is some diplomacy: How about they stay in their borders and mind their own business?

I guess part of their history is killing off millions of their own sons every generation or so.

I am tired of them being paranoid that everyone wants their stuff. No one wants their stuff. Just go away.


15 posted on 07/13/2025 1:12:38 PM PDT by Vermont Lt
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To: EnderWiggin1970

They keep fighting because they like it. If they didn’t like it, they would stop.


16 posted on 07/13/2025 1:12:50 PM PDT by lurk (u)
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To: A strike

“Zeeps here deny/ cannot understand this.”

They’re like liberals - they FULLY UNDERSTAND what they’re saying and doing, but they have agendas, and that drives them.


17 posted on 07/13/2025 1:13:25 PM PDT by BobL
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To: Allegra; AndyJackson; ANKE69; bimboeruption; Candor7; Carriage Hill; C210N; Cold_Red_Steel; ...

18 posted on 07/13/2025 1:14:31 PM PDT by aMorePerfectUnion (🦅 MAGADONIAN ⚔️ LIFE )
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To: Williams

You are the perfect idjit example ..


19 posted on 07/13/2025 1:15:58 PM PDT by A strike (unfortunately PDJT is continuing the UKUS v Russia war)
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To: A strike

Yeah me no know history. Russia good America devil.


20 posted on 07/13/2025 1:17:12 PM PDT by Williams (Thank God for the election of President Trump!)
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