ANALYSIS/OPINION:
The current wave of Russophobia sweeping Washington and the halls of power in the leftist, corrupt media is not about Russia. It is about stopping the Trump agenda.
Democrats had no problem cozying up to the Kremlin in the past. They still don’t. However, they are using Donald Trump’s contacts with the Russian Federation, before and after the election, as a blunt instrument to hammer the duly elected president and stop him from implementing his policies. The corrupt media aids in this effort.
Bill Clinton was paid a hell of a lot of money for giving a speech in Moscow. Hillary Clinton facilitated the sale to Russia of 20 percent of America’s uranium deposits in exchange for a nice fat contribution to her access-selling “charity.” John Podesta’s firm was recently hired by the Russians to lobby for Moscow in the U.S.
Yes, Democrats are fine with taking Russian money. They are just enjoying the lack of coverage of this fact by the dishonest American media.
It is true that President Barack Obama did not have the best relationship with the Kremlin. This was primarily because Russian President Vladimir Putin did not follow the globalist, Obama-Soros agenda. Mr. Obama was famous for mocking the Russian president and Russia’s economy, calling them a third-rate power, and making fun of Mr. Putin’s “slouch” long before the annexation of Crimea. If the skin colors were reversed, one could even call his comments “racist,” but I’m a conservative, so I don’t play the race card for gain.
The current Russian hysteria by the Marxist left does have something to do with Russia’s history, however. The main concern of the failing presidency of Boris Yeltsin in the ’90s was not being prosecuted if he relinquished power. He wanted his family to be free from persecution, no matter how much money they stole from the Russian people.
We are seeing the same scenario with the Obamas and the Clintons. This is why they were so upset over the firing of FBI Director Jim Comey. He was protecting them and knew where the bones were buried. This was obvious in his tortured attempt to remove Hillary Clinton from the threat of prosecution for betraying her country. The Democrats, meanwhile, cannot allow Mr. Trump to succeed, because this will mean their diabolical schemes to weaken America will come alive in the light of day.
That being said, I do believe Russia and the United States cannot live together peacefully without mutual respect. Ronald Reagan moved the world toward peace with respect for Mikhail Gorbachev but also frank accountability for Soviet behavior. Mr. Trump will provide the needed respectful environment with Russia, that is, if he is allowed to by the media. However, Mr. Trump will not appease. This was obvious when he dropped 59 Tomahawk missiles onto a Syrian airfield with Russian personnel a few hundred feet away.
Russia is self-serving in its condemnation of Mr. Trump’s attacks on the Iran nuclear deal and his approach toward North Korea. Struck by Mr. Obama, all the Iran deal did was to provide Tehran with billions to buy Russian weapons. It did nothing to secure peace as Iran is well on its way to becoming a nuclear power that will threaten the Middle East with Armageddon when it has the chance. The recent missile tests with “Death to Israel” written on the projectile gives plenty of evidence for that scenario. Let’s not kid ourselves.
As far as North Korea is concerned, of course Russia wants “further negotiations.” We’ve negotiated with North Korea for decades while it continues to develop the ability to threaten the U.S. mainland and America’s allies in the region. Mr. Trump’s approach has finally gotten China to be involved in stopping North Korea’s Kim Jong-un and has obviously gotten Moscow’s attention. Additional negotiations will do nothing. Yes, a war would be disastrous, but so would a nuclear North Korea with ICBMs. This would be far worse. The only chance to thread the needle and achieve peace on the Korean Peninsula is to be “willing to go there,” which Mr. Trump obviously is.
Moscow would do well to do what is in its power to stop the North before Mr. Trump has to. To allow North Korea to gain further nuclear capability is simply unacceptable. The faster the Kremlin gets on board with this view, the better.
In Syria, Moscow is determined to keep the Assad regime in power. Fighting terrorism comes a distant second.
I don’t believe Russia is an existential threat to the United States. No Russians are cutting off American heads or those of our allies. Russia is a historically great world power and should be treated with the respect a great power deserves.
I do believe we can work with Russia in areas of mutual benefit, like terrorism. However, this can only be achieved with America’s eyes wide open that Russia will only serve Russia’s interests, which many times are diametrically opposed to ours.
In short, making America great again and vigorously protecting our own interests will benefit world peace, not appeasing Russia.
• L. Todd Wood writes a column and blog for The Washington Times.
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