US mood shift as the Pentagon's favorite think tank calls for a swift end to the Ukraine conflict?
Posted by Der on January 30, 2023, 12:14 am
As the Pentagon's favorite think tank calls for a swift end to the Ukraine conflict, is the mood shifting in Washington?
The RAND Corporation, a highly influential elite national security think tank funded directly by the Pentagon, has published a landmark report stating that prolonging the proxy war is actively harming the US and its allies and warning Washington that it should avoid “a protracted conflict” in Ukraine.
Rand Report: Avoiding a Long War U.S. Policy and the Trajectory of the Russia-Ukraine Conflict
The concluding paragraphs are a bit of a downer:
"A dramatic, overnight shift in U.S. policy is politically impossible—both domestically and with allies—and would be unwise in any case. But developing these instruments now and socializing them with Ukraine and with U.S. allies might help catalyze the eventual start of a process that could bring this war to a negotiated end in a time frame that would serve U.S. interests. The alternative is a long war that poses major challenges for the United States, Ukraine, and the rest of the world."
Interesting little update added in light of recent events:
"Editor's Note, April 2022: We encourage you to explore this research brief and the full report that it is based on. However, because Russian state media entities and individuals sympathetic to Putin's decision to invade Ukraine have mischaracterized this research in recent weeks, we also encourage you to explore this helpful resource on Russia's “firehose of falsehood” approach to propaganda and our research on “Truth Decay,” which is a phenomenon that is driven in part by the spread of disinformation."
I think one needs to separate the wheat from the chaff, the rhetoric from the reality here.
It's somewhat ironic and rather terrifying, that it's the US Military, that appears to be our best chance of avoiding an all-out war, NATO against Russia in Ukraine, which could escalate into a nuclear exchange.
Trump is positioning himself, cleverly, as the 'peace candidate' and boasting that there would have been no war with him in charge, and he could fashion a 'deal' with the Russians that would end the war in '24 hours.'
Also, Tulsi Gabbard, who is smart, has delivered an absolutely scathing attack on Zelensky's visit to Congress and the hysterical adoration he recieved from both party's. She is, unfortunately, almsost a lone voice of 'sanity' among the political class, along with Rand Paul. It's just a bit sad and disturbing that the 'left' is completely absent from the conversation.
Years ago, I met a Conservative, intellectual, politician. A really charming scoundral. He advised me to drop reading Marx, who he addmitted war good on economics and history; and instead read Machiavelli, who war far better on 'human nature.' Unfortunately, he was right.
on January 30, 2023, 12:14 am