Nice sentiment HWR but you should know better than most it takes two to tango. How do we trust a man whose stated goal is to destabilize the west and lift Russia to its former soviet glory? While continuing to hold dialogue and try for positive engagement is certainly important, we can't allow him a free hand to go about his provocative actions. You know Ronald Reagan had significant negotiations and established treaties with the USSR. However critical to his success was that he stood firm against Soviet aggression and interference in the West & world. After he established this position he negotiated from a position of strength. This is what we need. Obama was seen as weak and ineffective as was W. Trump with his seeming lack of acknowledgement of any threat from Putin and Russia is also at risk of being taken advantage of to our detriment.
You are going about this all wrong. It has nothing to do with Trust. Strategy doesnt rely on Trust. It relys on knowing your options and your opponents. I ask you what value we gain from stressed relations with Russia? The answer is emotional based. There are far better approaches to Russia than sanctions and mean words.
there can be a time and place for that but the bottom line is that trump is president and not her. the two are not the same. lets look at each upon their own merits ...............seperately
You're right on one point. It's not emotion but knowledge that is the basis of strategy. When your neighbor continually tries to take some of your property, throws trash into it and turns your other neighbors against you you it may make you mad but more importantly it puts you and your property at risk. If you don't do something to counter it you will get weaker and could lose part or all of your property and more. Just making nice with bullys doesn't stop them. Bringing a nice apple pies won't help. Calling authorities it is a step; standing up to him is another. If and when he realizes you're not a pushover then you can establish a relationship. This is what Putin is doing writ large. HE IS the one stressing relations by his words and deeds. Obama knelt down to him to get the Iran deal. Putin laughed in his face when he invaded Crimea and Ukraine, took advantage in Syria in fact bombing our Kurdish allies He broke the Intermediate Range Missle treaty by putting them in western Russia (areas specifically forbidden). He has stated many time he wants to undermine the west. Now tell me what about that is emotional???a better question is why are you so blind to his actions and so afraid of standing up for your country???
Ive lost count of all the strawmen. Jesus. Lets start with thr basics. Under Trump, what has Putin done that you consider bad?
Basics huh? First he moved the Intermediate range nuclear missles into European Russia in direct defiance of the treaty. Well he bombed our Kurdish allies in Syria, threatened retaliatory action if we continued to fly sorties in Syria, threatened action if we took any steps in Korea. How about the provocative dangerous fly by sand ship interceptions all over Europe. However to imagine his past actions and words still must be taken into account as they form a pattern over 20 years and make a much stronger statement of who he is and what he intends than a few moments of quiet over the last six months. BTW what actions has Putin taken to walk back from his past aggression? It takes two to tango....either for peace or confrontation.
Not about Russia. They stayed inside the origonal scope. They did t expand it to everything and anything. Partly due to deleting all the emails though.
