While I applaud Zelensky's efforts to protect the continuity of his nation, I grow weary of these articles that attempt to chastice the west for "not doing enough." There is a very sound rationale for not accepting Ukraine into NATO. Namely, that they have been a redline for the second/third most powerful nation in the world and they've been plagued with corruption since their inception. The US has been first among allies to provide economic and military support to Ukraine since the mid-90s. We have given them hundreds of millions of dollars per year since at least the mid-2000s. And let's not mince words over the many revolutions that have occurred there as efforts to clean up their governments. After both the 2004 and 2014 revolutions the Ukrainian government had the opportunity to get their acts together and yet they chose to continue to engage in massive corruption, many times in league with our politicians like McCain, Graham, Obama, the Biden's, and Kerry, to name a few. We have providing training and access to weapons technologies that the Russians could only dream of having access to. The major victories in the Ukraine thus far aren't a result of just the fortitude of their people, though commendable. It is is also a result of our massive investments there over the last 25 years. So let's stop with the virtue signaling that Zelensky and Ukraine are being snubbed or not properly supported.
I agree with Niall Ferguson that the West should never have dangled NATO membership in front of Ukraine if they weren't prepared to go to war over it. They should have told them to accept neutrality. I feel bad for Zelenskyy, he's between a rock and a hard place. At the same time, I think more savvy leadership would have smelled this bus coming and not been so eager to poke the bear. The point of this article is that Israel learned the hard way not to rely too much on the U.S. coming to their aid and now Ukraine is, too.
I also don't think the U.S. should have meddled in Ukraine's internal affairs, particularly the coup. Nor do I think we should meddle in other countries. We have a history of doing so since at least 1945.
Meddling in other countries internal affairs is risky, and the US does not have a very good track record at it. One notable success was post-WW2 Japan. Japan nearly went communist after WW2. The CIA managed to work against that successfully.
My understanding is that the CIA and its precursor were strictly limited to foreign matters for fear of abuse if used domestically. That was true until.post 9/11 when folks realized the foreign intelligence agencies had data they did not share with the domestic side (although it looks to me like the President should have been aware of what any agency knew). So now we see the abuses. Coupled with rampant federal control of, well everything, it is a country I find unrecognizable.
A result of the post 9/11 imperative that the foreign intelligence and domestic law enforcement agencies "communicate" with each other. Now we are all terrorists or potential terrorists.
Poke the bear is a nonsense excuse. It does not justify this war. Possible NATO membership was always a pretext. Putin is trying to reconstitute the Soviet Union. Ukraine will not be in the same position as Israel which will always be surrounded by enemies, but Ukraine will in future be sufficiently armed to protect itself from Russia.
Scuba, with all due respect, I think Putin used NATO as a fig leaf re Ukraine. He wants a Greater Russia. And any part of a larger Russia that even flirts with democracy (however flawed) is anathema to him. He's had NATO countries in the Baltics on his door step for fifteen years. Never massed forces against them. Niall is falling for the Putin narrative.
On the contrary, I would say that the present war in Ukraine validates the rationale for admitting Ukraine into NATO. Had this been done, V. Putin would never have launched his war of aggression.
All the talk about Ukrainian corruption is irrelevant. What has that to do with what's happening now: a full-scale war between two large European countries? If Ukraine has been plagued by corruption, Russia has evolved into a malevolent fascist state. The answer to that was and is collective security. Poland, the Baltic States, et al. didn't desire NATO membership because they harbored aggressive designs against Russia. They did so for reasons that are now glaringly obvious: they have an aggressive, menacing neighbor on their eastern borders.
Especially now that we've had a look at the atrocities perpetrated by Russian troops in Ukraine, it's essential to see to it that Putin and Russia do not profit from their brutal aggression.
No, you’re totally wrong. This war has nothing to do with NATO, which is a defensive alliance posing no threat to Russia. This war is about V. Putin’s desire to recreate the defunct Russian imperium, period. He himself has admitted as much with his rants claiming that Ukraine is a fake country that has no right to exist. And here you are, singing from Putin’s hymnal, LOL. You’re his dupe. My advice, learn some history, already!
Israel has been forced to live in reality as the US disappears into a Woke madness. Of course Biden, Obama and Bush Jr showed Putin it would be ok to invade the Ukraine just as he had invaded other parts of the Ukraine, Crimea and Georgia under their administrations. The Biden admin giving away the US's energy independence and the Woke Greenies of Europe allowing themselves to become dependent on Russia so they do not freeze to death also made it clear to any proper dictator that there is no NATO willing, and possibly no longer able, to stop him.
Israel understood that Obama's intention to fundamentally transform the US would result in a pro-Islamist administration. Israel did what it had to do by enhancing relationships with China, India and Russia. For Israel "Never Again" is what they must live by. America also has started to live by a version of "Never Again" - America will never again stand up for freedom or the constitution. Those of us on the right or classical liberal side of the spectrum who understand leftist totalitarians regardless of the strain, know the US will not protect us, its citizens. We are in danger in the US from the most deceptive totalitarians of all time - the Wokesters.
Excellent reply and everything you wrote is true politicians just don’t care the power they want is absolute they all pigs at the trough and never seem to have their appetites satiated we will be rebuilding Ukraine for the Ukrainians - why there is money to be made like Iraq etc
Anyone viewing the truly sad and alarming White House ceremony with the jug-eared former President, holding court and ignoring and dissing a confused Biden, who wandered aimlessly, would have good reason to withhold any reliance on the United States. Biden has gone from being merely a catastrophically bad president to a truly dangerous one. If you think talk of invoking the 25th Amendment is overheated, you just might be in a seriously self-delusional state, yourself.
The Obama fan club gathering at the White House, while Biden seemed confused and shut out, was just the latest in what I can only describe as a series of sad events. His family and handlers should have never done this to Biden.
I agree with you wholeheartedly but what kind of President would Kamala make? Nobody in the free world will respect her the Arab world won’t respect her Russia definitely won’t so perhaps we should stick with Brandon till 2024 although watching the Hunter Biden story and the John Durham investigation it looks like the swamp is imploding
Don't worry, Obama will be back in office by late 2022. The "elected" clauses in the 22nd Amendment will not apply and congress, including a few republicans, will vote him in. I could be very wrong, but after the last six years of Democrat and their media praetorian guard chicanery, nothing would surprise me.
Gabbard will NOT be the nominee. She is far too sane and moderate for the Democrats who are running the show now. They crushed her candidacy in 2020 as easily as squashing a bug.
Do you ever listen to Dan Bongino? He put out a shocker the other day he said Brandon told Barak he is going to run again in 2024 I thought OMG is this for real as you said the guy is dazed his missus told him to wave when he appeared and the Easter bunny had to remove him because he was starting to sprout the bullshit again Bruce you right I don’t know how much we can still take of this rubbish!
Did my eyes deceive me? So sick of the media swooning over this lightweight leftist. And then there's the fact that the leader of the free world is a senile, confused, demented imbecile who is mostly checked out but you're worried that I made fun of Obama's jug ears. Good grief.
LOL. I suppose, at this point, that is all the left has to offer in defense of senile biden. I almost feel sorry for the lefties - knowing that the only way a person of any consequence could vote for the dems is that they are profiting from them relieves me of that sorry and restores my pure contempt.
Sorry, Bill, perhaps then you are not (any more?) a person of consequence. Of course, you could count the "cred" you get from the "upper-middle-class-xanaxxed-self loathing" lemmings as profit, like they seem to do. Of course, you could be a non-thought-leader in the inner cities who abides by crab mentality and sees pulling others back into their filth with them as a 'profitable' venture. If you were a big$ dem donor, you'd clearly have responded different.
What’s wrong with it.? Read Common Sense. Read the Declaration. Not temperate. Patrick Henry? Sometimes things are worth getting riled up and fighting for.
That's just the start...only "professor" at U Chgo not required to submit his pre-publication work for peer review at the institute; won his first election due to the sudden appearance of salacious, if unproven, "locked down" legal documents; only "editor" of the Harvard Law Review to have not published in it; took acting lessons to appear "presidential"... Obama is truly a politician manufactured for a specific purpose who has undergone a "retread" for another mission.
I knew something was worrisome with Obama because of how quickly he rose through the Chicago Political Machine, and because he managed to defeat Hillary, who has a powerful machine of her own. Even my friends who were Democrats were hesitant about him for that reason, although of course they ended up voting for him.
Retreads thin though Joe’s running on no air Nancy half dead Chuck got no power can’t change thru the gears the citizens of America are much stronger and better than this we will fight back in the midterms
Think there will be a civil war in America if they don’t have the midterms what the Dems would like is another complete mail in ballot vote not so much a postponement or a cancellation they won’t be able to handle the fall out from the above but a mail in ballot with no ID gives them absolute power to do the same thing again they really believe Americans are stupid it’s not going to happen again this time we definitely know who we don’t want 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
I’ve been reading bits and pieces of this stuff ever since he appeared on political scene. Most people I’d tell it to told me I was crazy. No one wanted to believe anything negative about him. He has been treated like a god as he systematically destroyed our country.
When I was very young I read a compelling book called "None Dare Call It Treason." Based on the famous Harington quote. I suppose the time honored "Plus ca change....." expression is apt. I was never big on conspiracy theories but sometimes you just have to wonder.......
I’m no longer young. I’ve been observing long enough to be convinced that Obama is part of a long running conspiracy to control more than just the us. Covid, Ukraine, etc are all part of it. We’re living through a time of great change. No one knows who is in charge and pulling the strings. Our grandchildren will live in a totally different world.
Bruce, the ill advised ceremony of this 'catastrophically bad president' has competition from an ill advised ceremony of another 'catastrophically bad president' - the Oval Office love-in involving Trump and the two highest ranking diplomats in the Russian Foreign Ministry in 2017 - where Trump decided to share intelligence when he went off script. Which, obviously, he did so much of.
One has to wonder how often Trump, when he wasn't monitored by any adults in the room, shared intelligence with the likes of Lavrov etc.. re Ukraine? I guess we'll never know.
So difficult to defend Trump publicly but boy, that war that he got us into, psh. And his failing economy! And I hated that we had energy independence. 😲. Worse yet, Abraham Accords. Peace in the Middle East. Who wants that? Pulling us out of Afghanistan, troops first leaving billions of dollars of cash and more US weapons that any country OWNS in the world? Well, who cares that he left millions of woman and children behind to get raped, sold, suffer and died. Screw Trump. Like you said, he’s gone now. Bad orange man. Bad tweets.
It's just too bad he didn't quite understand that Republican Secretaries of State can count votes very well, and didn't need his midnight phone calls looking for more.
Adultsor resident of a adult care facility? Contrast Trump economy with Biden disaster. Trump borders with Biden lack of borders. Trump peace with Biden chaos.
Oh Bruce you'll survive! So many of us did with Trump, the man who has trouble with how votes are counted - so you'll do just fine. I know it. I think it's your fortitude.
I say start lining up for tickets for the forthcoming De Santis - Trump duel for the remains of MAGA America.
All we know for certain is that, whatever Trump did or didn't do, Russia didn't invade Ukraine on his watch. Unlike during the Obama and Biden admins. Meanwhile, in 2012, two years before Russia's first Ukraine invasion (Crimea)...I guess Vladimir had the space he needed from feckless Obama.
Obama whispering to Medvedev: “This is my last election ... After my election I have more flexibility,” Obama said, expressing confidence that he would win a second term.
“I will transmit this information to Vladimir,” said Medvedev, Putin’s protégé and long considered number two in Moscow’s power structure.
True enough. The big what if? is if Trump was in power today would Putin have invaded? Maybe not. Putin was getting from Trump all kinds of room to operate, imo, and felt no need to push any military buttons. If Trump was still President Putin might just have attempted to poison Zelenskyy, his style after all, and achieve a change of power that way.
Playing ‘What If’ is fun. But I deal in facts, only. Obama & Biden = Russian invasion of Ukraine. Trump = no invasion and military strengthening of Ukraine.
Considering that Trump was singing Putin's praises AFTER he invaded Ukraine - makes sense! Why would Putin invade if Trump was President? They're already in each others corner.
Wait a second..... Obama was President. He whispered sweet nothings to Medvedev to convey to Putin. Ukes ask for defensive weapons. Jug Ears sends blankets and MREs.
Next thing you know, the Crimea is annexed. Price paid? Nothing. Trump comes in and Putin is quiet. Trump gives Ukraine lethal arms such as Javelins and kills Russians and their Wagner Group stooges in Syria. Putin is docile. You ditch Trump and install "the Big Guy." He has the odious Vicki Nuland create trouble again, incites Putin but withholds defensive weapons from the Ukes. Just like his boss did. Genius policy. Putin invades. I think your narrative missed the key facts.
I see Helsinki 2017. I see the Russians in the WH backslapping Trump the same year. You see Ukraine now. Putin and Trump are linked. Trump lavishes praise on Putin after he invades Ukraine! What is that?? What ex President does that? How can anyone defend remarks like that?
Putin remained docile because he had all the help he needed. No push back required. After Clinton (the wife) and feckless Obama - Trump in his fawning bent knee adulation was an absolute godsend to Putin.
Except that everything you claim is a fantasy. Just because Trump was nice to Putin or Little Kim doesn't translate to benefits to them. Sweet talking an adversary to get better behavior from them is smart. Insulting them solves nothing. Both Hilarious and Jug Ears sucked up to Putin AND bent over for him. Trump was nice to Putin and stuck it to him. Your inability to see the difference is probably the result of Orange Delusion. Sorry but reality bites.
Right Lee - or has he? Don’t discount the MAGA man I’m watching the Masters at Augusta now and nobody is discounting Tiger the MAGA man is taking a slow walk up the 18th anything can happen this is after all America!!🇺🇸🇺🇸
You make a lot of good points but I do question the consistent claims from many about corruption in Ukraine. How do we define and measure corruption? Are Americans qualified to make this claim? We don’t seem to be able to deal with it in our own government, are we any less corrupt?
There's no question that we have increasing levels of corruption in the U.S. But aside from some long-time strongholds of corruption (I'm thinking of Chicago, in particular), Americans are largely amateurs at the corruption game.
The United States has given Iraq around 61 billion in foreign aid. Moving on to Afghanistan, we gave them approximately 72 billion, but Israel is the top recipient of (self-rescue) over 230 billion; I think it’s safe to say they received a helping hand!
Very interesting piece, with lots of information I had no idea about.
While we are pointing out Europe's failure t wean itself from Russia's energy, we should also point out the US's (and the world's) dependence on China-adjacent chip fabs. Unlike with Russia's oil, there are few to no large scale producers in other regions. We must fix this now, or our complacency looks worse than Germany's.
Agree completely. I understand that Intel is building a mega-giant chip factory in Ohio. Good, we need that and more. I hope it comes online very soon.
Thank you for a truly insightful analysis. One of the things I appreciate most about Bari's newsletter is these guest posts. Keep them coming please! I don't necessarily agree with everything the commentators say, and disagree with most of the comments generally, but I can rarely find such clear-headed non-ideological thinking elsewhere.
The comments are 90% atrocious. There's so much name calling, repeating of things that are plainly not true, and Trump-revisionism. I don't understand why so much misinformation flourishes on these posts.
Glad the author finally got to the crux which is Joey depends is the one who greenlighted this disaster with his policies and blurts. Under Trump, Israel flourished. Under Trump, America was strong. Under Joey depends and the Obama, the world sees America as faithless.
If Trump is the only person who can save the nation, we are in a sad situation. He’s not the true King in exile. This is not a criticism of Trump, it’s my despair that many think he alone can accomplish/fix our ruination.
If Trump was gone tomorrow- well there goes everything. Alas.
This is the extremist view. He can neither do all good or no good. He has opened the eyes of many on the right (as has BS on the left) to the rot that is the biden/romney/kerry/wokefest amalgam of putrid exploiters of the American people (APEAP). That alone is significant. I'm still waiting on his detractors to illustrate the pure evil he represents, especially relative to the APEAP. Most all of their howlings were either discredited or outright lies.
Ukrainian is not a core American interest. It is incredibly depressing that Israel and Turkey are working for peace, which is a core American interest. Unfortunately the uniparty Washington DC war party wants this war(like all wars) to continue.
Let’s not wrap this in “waning American hedgemony”. That is too cute of a narrative that the globalists love. This is about corruption plain and simple. Criminal corruption, starting with but far from ending with the POTUS. The international politico-military money laundering machine have used Ukraine for decades.
Thanks for the lesson I’ve received from this article. I didn’t know about a lot of this. It is smart for Israel to understand that they cannot rely on the US. We have only two viable political parties and they often switch off every two to eight years. One party is often anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian, while the other is pro-Israel and sometimes overly intrusive into Israel’s politics. But there is one very problematic issue right now, which is that President Biden is wholly incapable of doing anything on his own. He is compromised in total due to his mental incapacity and he knows it, as does the entire world. That’s why he’s happy and relieved to leave the country’s problems and our global problems to the feckless Obama holdovers while he gets to go to Delaware most weekends and forget it all.
None of this is good for America, or frankly the world. It’s devastating to see that the world can no longer count on us.
Zelensky wrong footed Israel when he engaged in a level of Holocaust denial in his claim that during WWII, the Ukrainians chose to save their Jews. To be fair, that was probably what he was taught as a child growing up in the Soviet Union. Also, while proudly parading his Jewish affiliation, his actual knowledge of its history and religion is lacking. Had he been better informed, he might more convincingly have asked Israel for help for the sake of and in memory of the 2,500 or so Ukrainians who number among the “righteous among the Gentiles” at Yad Vashem. Of course, that type of bargaining would put Ukraine in the shoes of a latter day Sodom, but extraordinary times require extraordinary gestures. In any event, it was a missed opportunity - and, quite shockingly, Ukraine continues to vote mostly against Israel in the UN.
All that said, countries have interests not friends and Thucydides observation, often given as “the strong do what they can, the weak do as they must”, continues to resonate.
Ukraine should have begun to learn this lesson when Russia took Ukraine in contravention of the Budapest Agreement that guaranteed its territorial integrity. President Obama allowed the US to turn its back on its pledge, reckoning that he would not interfere with Russia’s greater interest in Ukraine - what he called its “equities” in the Iranian context which is also why the US red line vanished in the sands of Syria.
Whether Ukraine can become a “big Israel” remains to be seen. Then again, whether the West is capable of taken a long term stand against naked aggression or will push for any settlement, no matter how disadvantageous it may be to Ukraine, just to get back to business as usual also remains to be seen.
Whatever the future course of events, China and Iran are watching just as intently as Taiwan, Israel and the Gulf States.
Thirty-three thousand people walked from their homes to their deaths in a couple of days. When it came to complete obliteration of other human beings, the NAZI's didn't fuck around. Everywhere they moved in. First Thing? Round up and kill the Jews and other desirables. Pol Pot learned something from that strategy.
Terrific, deep, and insightful analysis, Lahav. Thank you. As someone far smarter than me once said, "Nations have no permanent friends, no permanent enemies, only permanent interests."
Israel's permanent interest is to not just to stay alive, but to thrive, in the angry sea of Jew-haters who wish to see the state drown.
Very clearly missing from this article is any mention of Obama, whose hostility towards Israel was visceral. It was Obama's contempt for Israel, especially with the Iran deal, that led Israel to let go of the historical relationship that the US and Israel have had.
Biden is following in Obama's foolish footsteps by trying to revive the Iran deal. When Biden asked the Saudi's to increase oil production they told him to pound sand. The Democrat's obsession with sucking up to Iran has ruined not only our relationship with Israel, but now Saudi Arabia too. The Saudi's see Iran as a threat just like the Israeli's do.
Why the author omitted mentioning Obama, who started poisoning out relationship with two important middle east allies, is a mystery.
Very informative. I am not alone among Americans in viewing the decline of our influence in international affairs as good news. The DC blob is so self-absorbed and detached from reality they are a danger to any country they curse by getting involved with. It is a national shame
This was a very helpful perspective. It saddens me that the U.S. is such an unreliable partner. Biden’s desire to compound Obama’s mistake with the (non-binding) JCPOA is dramatically disruptive of both U.S. , Israeli and Gulf interests. The silver lining, as Harkov delineates, is that other freedom loving nations will have to take more responsibility for their own strategic welfare. The “woke” U.S. increasingly behaves like the demented uncle at a Thanksgiving gathering.
Lava Harkov, this was an educational post. With self-preservation as the ultimate motivator, Israel's moves define realpolitik. I'm continually impressed and amazed at the country's political fighting skills. US leaders could learn from it.
While I applaud Zelensky's efforts to protect the continuity of his nation, I grow weary of these articles that attempt to chastice the west for "not doing enough." There is a very sound rationale for not accepting Ukraine into NATO. Namely, that they have been a redline for the second/third most powerful nation in the world and they've been plagued with corruption since their inception. The US has been first among allies to provide economic and military support to Ukraine since the mid-90s. We have given them hundreds of millions of dollars per year since at least the mid-2000s. And let's not mince words over the many revolutions that have occurred there as efforts to clean up their governments. After both the 2004 and 2014 revolutions the Ukrainian government had the opportunity to get their acts together and yet they chose to continue to engage in massive corruption, many times in league with our politicians like McCain, Graham, Obama, the Biden's, and Kerry, to name a few. We have providing training and access to weapons technologies that the Russians could only dream of having access to. The major victories in the Ukraine thus far aren't a result of just the fortitude of their people, though commendable. It is is also a result of our massive investments there over the last 25 years. So let's stop with the virtue signaling that Zelensky and Ukraine are being snubbed or not properly supported.
I agree with Niall Ferguson that the West should never have dangled NATO membership in front of Ukraine if they weren't prepared to go to war over it. They should have told them to accept neutrality. I feel bad for Zelenskyy, he's between a rock and a hard place. At the same time, I think more savvy leadership would have smelled this bus coming and not been so eager to poke the bear. The point of this article is that Israel learned the hard way not to rely too much on the U.S. coming to their aid and now Ukraine is, too.
I also don't think the U.S. should have meddled in Ukraine's internal affairs, particularly the coup. Nor do I think we should meddle in other countries. We have a history of doing so since at least 1945.
Meddling in other countries internal affairs is risky, and the US does not have a very good track record at it. One notable success was post-WW2 Japan. Japan nearly went communist after WW2. The CIA managed to work against that successfully.
Well the CIA was new and presumably on their best behavior.
Ha! Yeah, the CIA hadn't yet become the bumbling bureaucracy they are now.
My understanding is that the CIA and its precursor were strictly limited to foreign matters for fear of abuse if used domestically. That was true until.post 9/11 when folks realized the foreign intelligence agencies had data they did not share with the domestic side (although it looks to me like the President should have been aware of what any agency knew). So now we see the abuses. Coupled with rampant federal control of, well everything, it is a country I find unrecognizable.
Totally agree
1890.
That has nothing to do with this war.
That is incredibly naive. It was in 2014, hardly ancient history. We facilitated the overthrow of a duly elected president.
A result of the post 9/11 imperative that the foreign intelligence and domestic law enforcement agencies "communicate" with each other. Now we are all terrorists or potential terrorists.
Poke the bear is a nonsense excuse. It does not justify this war. Possible NATO membership was always a pretext. Putin is trying to reconstitute the Soviet Union. Ukraine will not be in the same position as Israel which will always be surrounded by enemies, but Ukraine will in future be sufficiently armed to protect itself from Russia.
Scuba, with all due respect, I think Putin used NATO as a fig leaf re Ukraine. He wants a Greater Russia. And any part of a larger Russia that even flirts with democracy (however flawed) is anathema to him. He's had NATO countries in the Baltics on his door step for fifteen years. Never massed forces against them. Niall is falling for the Putin narrative.
Maybe you should find a fairway somewhere to hit that ball.
This. Is. Cool!
😀
The kids who want their Gender Studies loans forgiven should join the military. Two birds with one stone!!
Loans forgiven AND they get to fight for Ukraine which they are pretending to care about currently.
Two birds? That sounds too effing binary!
I should have clarified that both birds are white so it’s okay to kill them.
😂😂
Not if the killer is (Oliver) stone!
On the contrary, I would say that the present war in Ukraine validates the rationale for admitting Ukraine into NATO. Had this been done, V. Putin would never have launched his war of aggression.
All the talk about Ukrainian corruption is irrelevant. What has that to do with what's happening now: a full-scale war between two large European countries? If Ukraine has been plagued by corruption, Russia has evolved into a malevolent fascist state. The answer to that was and is collective security. Poland, the Baltic States, et al. didn't desire NATO membership because they harbored aggressive designs against Russia. They did so for reasons that are now glaringly obvious: they have an aggressive, menacing neighbor on their eastern borders.
Especially now that we've had a look at the atrocities perpetrated by Russian troops in Ukraine, it's essential to see to it that Putin and Russia do not profit from their brutal aggression.
Please point out where in my comment I advocated war with Russia. LOL, good luck with that…
No, you’re totally wrong. This war has nothing to do with NATO, which is a defensive alliance posing no threat to Russia. This war is about V. Putin’s desire to recreate the defunct Russian imperium, period. He himself has admitted as much with his rants claiming that Ukraine is a fake country that has no right to exist. And here you are, singing from Putin’s hymnal, LOL. You’re his dupe. My advice, learn some history, already!
Israel has been forced to live in reality as the US disappears into a Woke madness. Of course Biden, Obama and Bush Jr showed Putin it would be ok to invade the Ukraine just as he had invaded other parts of the Ukraine, Crimea and Georgia under their administrations. The Biden admin giving away the US's energy independence and the Woke Greenies of Europe allowing themselves to become dependent on Russia so they do not freeze to death also made it clear to any proper dictator that there is no NATO willing, and possibly no longer able, to stop him.
Israel understood that Obama's intention to fundamentally transform the US would result in a pro-Islamist administration. Israel did what it had to do by enhancing relationships with China, India and Russia. For Israel "Never Again" is what they must live by. America also has started to live by a version of "Never Again" - America will never again stand up for freedom or the constitution. Those of us on the right or classical liberal side of the spectrum who understand leftist totalitarians regardless of the strain, know the US will not protect us, its citizens. We are in danger in the US from the most deceptive totalitarians of all time - the Wokesters.
Too many of those chastising the loudest are incapable of nuanced perception.
Excellent reply and everything you wrote is true politicians just don’t care the power they want is absolute they all pigs at the trough and never seem to have their appetites satiated we will be rebuilding Ukraine for the Ukrainians - why there is money to be made like Iraq etc
Yep, this
Anyone viewing the truly sad and alarming White House ceremony with the jug-eared former President, holding court and ignoring and dissing a confused Biden, who wandered aimlessly, would have good reason to withhold any reliance on the United States. Biden has gone from being merely a catastrophically bad president to a truly dangerous one. If you think talk of invoking the 25th Amendment is overheated, you just might be in a seriously self-delusional state, yourself.
The Obama fan club gathering at the White House, while Biden seemed confused and shut out, was just the latest in what I can only describe as a series of sad events. His family and handlers should have never done this to Biden.
but first black woman
sorry, cannot comment, I am not a biologist
What's a woman?
What black woman?
The one the Senate just confirmed to the Supreme Court, 53-47. The one who will be on the court for decades.
And will remain firmly in the loony minority.
Barring her getting hit by lightning….
And mostly to us
I agree with you wholeheartedly but what kind of President would Kamala make? Nobody in the free world will respect her the Arab world won’t respect her Russia definitely won’t so perhaps we should stick with Brandon till 2024 although watching the Hunter Biden story and the John Durham investigation it looks like the swamp is imploding
Don't worry, Obama will be back in office by late 2022. The "elected" clauses in the 22nd Amendment will not apply and congress, including a few republicans, will vote him in. I could be very wrong, but after the last six years of Democrat and their media praetorian guard chicanery, nothing would surprise me.
Talk about a causus belli............
Which Obama? I could very well see Michelle being the Democrats' nominee in 2024. Who else do they have?
She won’t run. It would expose her mediocrity. Gabbard will be the D nominee.
Gabbard will NOT be the nominee. She is far too sane and moderate for the Democrats who are running the show now. They crushed her candidacy in 2020 as easily as squashing a bug.
Barry
Lenin, Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot. Just pick any leftist loon….
Michele, I get it but I'm not sure we can stick with Brandon. He seems more dazed and out of it as each week progresses.
Do you ever listen to Dan Bongino? He put out a shocker the other day he said Brandon told Barak he is going to run again in 2024 I thought OMG is this for real as you said the guy is dazed his missus told him to wave when he appeared and the Easter bunny had to remove him because he was starting to sprout the bullshit again Bruce you right I don’t know how much we can still take of this rubbish!
“Jug-eared” a totally unnecessary comment.
Did my eyes deceive me? So sick of the media swooning over this lightweight leftist. And then there's the fact that the leader of the free world is a senile, confused, demented imbecile who is mostly checked out but you're worried that I made fun of Obama's jug ears. Good grief.
I wonder if you would get kicked off twitter if you said Obama is white?
"the leader of the free world is a senile, confused, demented imbecile who is mostly checked out"
Nah. He's no longer president, having lost re-election to Joe Biden.
Cute but you clearly weren't paying attention to the deplorable White House fete of Obama with the Big Guy aimlessly wandering around.
That's just a totally immature, lame post, on the level of "I know you are, but what am I?" Give it a break, dude..
It was a joke. Lighten up, Francis.
LOL. I suppose, at this point, that is all the left has to offer in defense of senile biden. I almost feel sorry for the lefties - knowing that the only way a person of any consequence could vote for the dems is that they are profiting from them relieves me of that sorry and restores my pure contempt.
If I'm profiting from them . . . where's my dough?
Sorry, Bill, perhaps then you are not (any more?) a person of consequence. Of course, you could count the "cred" you get from the "upper-middle-class-xanaxxed-self loathing" lemmings as profit, like they seem to do. Of course, you could be a non-thought-leader in the inner cities who abides by crab mentality and sees pulling others back into their filth with them as a 'profitable' venture. If you were a big$ dem donor, you'd clearly have responded different.
True, jugs have value. Clown-eared is more appropriate as he is the stage fool for those running the DNC circus.
But true. The Obama was very sensitive about his jug ears.
It’s true, and I have no love for Obama. But there’s no need for rudeness or hyper-partisanship.
But OK to make fun of Trump's hair, his weight, his family etc. Got it.
No, I voted for Trump. I just want to turn down the heated rhetoric.
What’s wrong with it.? Read Common Sense. Read the Declaration. Not temperate. Patrick Henry? Sometimes things are worth getting riled up and fighting for.
Except of course when trump is involved.
That's just the start...only "professor" at U Chgo not required to submit his pre-publication work for peer review at the institute; won his first election due to the sudden appearance of salacious, if unproven, "locked down" legal documents; only "editor" of the Harvard Law Review to have not published in it; took acting lessons to appear "presidential"... Obama is truly a politician manufactured for a specific purpose who has undergone a "retread" for another mission.
I knew something was worrisome with Obama because of how quickly he rose through the Chicago Political Machine, and because he managed to defeat Hillary, who has a powerful machine of her own. Even my friends who were Democrats were hesitant about him for that reason, although of course they ended up voting for him.
Retreads thin though Joe’s running on no air Nancy half dead Chuck got no power can’t change thru the gears the citizens of America are much stronger and better than this we will fight back in the midterms
...50% chance there won't be any mid-terms. Pay attention to the COVID breakout in DC.
Think there will be a civil war in America if they don’t have the midterms what the Dems would like is another complete mail in ballot vote not so much a postponement or a cancellation they won’t be able to handle the fall out from the above but a mail in ballot with no ID gives them absolute power to do the same thing again they really believe Americans are stupid it’s not going to happen again this time we definitely know who we don’t want 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Thank you. No one is ever willing to say those things. Speaking the truth is hard
No it’s not
I’ve been reading bits and pieces of this stuff ever since he appeared on political scene. Most people I’d tell it to told me I was crazy. No one wanted to believe anything negative about him. He has been treated like a god as he systematically destroyed our country.
When I was very young I read a compelling book called "None Dare Call It Treason." Based on the famous Harington quote. I suppose the time honored "Plus ca change....." expression is apt. I was never big on conspiracy theories but sometimes you just have to wonder.......
I’m no longer young. I’ve been observing long enough to be convinced that Obama is part of a long running conspiracy to control more than just the us. Covid, Ukraine, etc are all part of it. We’re living through a time of great change. No one knows who is in charge and pulling the strings. Our grandchildren will live in a totally different world.
Wow. Obama really got under your skin, huh? He would be pleased to know you remember him so well.
Never forget...else you repeat the same mistake...
Obama made some serious blunders, for sure. I wouldn't go so far as to call him a menace and traitor to America as others here suggest.
Wondering if you’d get kicked off twitter if you’d say Obama was capital White?
I think you spelled something wrong so I’m not sure what you meant to say. I’ve never been a twitt person but I expect I wouldnt have lasted long.
That’s funny. I needed a laugh. “Twitter” person. Thank you for correction. 😂
Glad to be of service
Lol. I rarely visit b/c I don’t know how it works! Old
Going to do more research on this write down all the points if after this Obama
Your claims are unsupported by any evidence. Barack Obama and his Kenyan brother look like twins. Obama bears no resemblance to Davis.
Bruce, the ill advised ceremony of this 'catastrophically bad president' has competition from an ill advised ceremony of another 'catastrophically bad president' - the Oval Office love-in involving Trump and the two highest ranking diplomats in the Russian Foreign Ministry in 2017 - where Trump decided to share intelligence when he went off script. Which, obviously, he did so much of.
One has to wonder how often Trump, when he wasn't monitored by any adults in the room, shared intelligence with the likes of Lavrov etc.. re Ukraine? I guess we'll never know.
But what does it matter - he's gone now. Right?
So difficult to defend Trump publicly but boy, that war that he got us into, psh. And his failing economy! And I hated that we had energy independence. 😲. Worse yet, Abraham Accords. Peace in the Middle East. Who wants that? Pulling us out of Afghanistan, troops first leaving billions of dollars of cash and more US weapons that any country OWNS in the world? Well, who cares that he left millions of woman and children behind to get raped, sold, suffer and died. Screw Trump. Like you said, he’s gone now. Bad orange man. Bad tweets.
Yip the best President we have ever had you summed him up perfectly wish you a Shabbat shalom!!
Yep. And never won the popular vote. Twice. Too bad not enough Americans thought like you.
Shabbat shalom
And don't forget - terrible ties!
It's just too bad he didn't quite understand that Republican Secretaries of State can count votes very well, and didn't need his midnight phone calls looking for more.
Adultsor resident of a adult care facility? Contrast Trump economy with Biden disaster. Trump borders with Biden lack of borders. Trump peace with Biden chaos.
Oh Bruce you'll survive! So many of us did with Trump, the man who has trouble with how votes are counted - so you'll do just fine. I know it. I think it's your fortitude.
I say start lining up for tickets for the forthcoming De Santis - Trump duel for the remains of MAGA America.
All we know for certain is that, whatever Trump did or didn't do, Russia didn't invade Ukraine on his watch. Unlike during the Obama and Biden admins. Meanwhile, in 2012, two years before Russia's first Ukraine invasion (Crimea)...I guess Vladimir had the space he needed from feckless Obama.
Obama whispering to Medvedev: “This is my last election ... After my election I have more flexibility,” Obama said, expressing confidence that he would win a second term.
“I will transmit this information to Vladimir,” said Medvedev, Putin’s protégé and long considered number two in Moscow’s power structure.
True enough. The big what if? is if Trump was in power today would Putin have invaded? Maybe not. Putin was getting from Trump all kinds of room to operate, imo, and felt no need to push any military buttons. If Trump was still President Putin might just have attempted to poison Zelenskyy, his style after all, and achieve a change of power that way.
Playing ‘What If’ is fun. But I deal in facts, only. Obama & Biden = Russian invasion of Ukraine. Trump = no invasion and military strengthening of Ukraine.
Considering that Trump was singing Putin's praises AFTER he invaded Ukraine - makes sense! Why would Putin invade if Trump was President? They're already in each others corner.
Your USA-centric view of geopolitics is simplistic and silly. Please get serious.
Wait a second..... Obama was President. He whispered sweet nothings to Medvedev to convey to Putin. Ukes ask for defensive weapons. Jug Ears sends blankets and MREs.
Next thing you know, the Crimea is annexed. Price paid? Nothing. Trump comes in and Putin is quiet. Trump gives Ukraine lethal arms such as Javelins and kills Russians and their Wagner Group stooges in Syria. Putin is docile. You ditch Trump and install "the Big Guy." He has the odious Vicki Nuland create trouble again, incites Putin but withholds defensive weapons from the Ukes. Just like his boss did. Genius policy. Putin invades. I think your narrative missed the key facts.
I see Helsinki 2017. I see the Russians in the WH backslapping Trump the same year. You see Ukraine now. Putin and Trump are linked. Trump lavishes praise on Putin after he invades Ukraine! What is that?? What ex President does that? How can anyone defend remarks like that?
Putin remained docile because he had all the help he needed. No push back required. After Clinton (the wife) and feckless Obama - Trump in his fawning bent knee adulation was an absolute godsend to Putin.
Except that everything you claim is a fantasy. Just because Trump was nice to Putin or Little Kim doesn't translate to benefits to them. Sweet talking an adversary to get better behavior from them is smart. Insulting them solves nothing. Both Hilarious and Jug Ears sucked up to Putin AND bent over for him. Trump was nice to Putin and stuck it to him. Your inability to see the difference is probably the result of Orange Delusion. Sorry but reality bites.
Right Lee - or has he? Don’t discount the MAGA man I’m watching the Masters at Augusta now and nobody is discounting Tiger the MAGA man is taking a slow walk up the 18th anything can happen this is after all America!!🇺🇸🇺🇸
If America is all about golf, then we're in trouble.
On the contrary America is about golf just look at the crowds following Tiger we definitely not about the Oscars assome would like us to think 😜😜
So - your response to my response was for some reason deleted. Thus my non sequitur.
I could have said the same thing in 2018 on our former guy. But what difference would it have made?
And now, for the right? None.
You make a lot of good points but I do question the consistent claims from many about corruption in Ukraine. How do we define and measure corruption? Are Americans qualified to make this claim? We don’t seem to be able to deal with it in our own government, are we any less corrupt?
There's no question that we have increasing levels of corruption in the U.S. But aside from some long-time strongholds of corruption (I'm thinking of Chicago, in particular), Americans are largely amateurs at the corruption game.
And that’s the truth Wendy
I hope you’re wrong but I fear you’re right. My favorite analogy is the coterie of fools and the naked Emperor.
Politics aside, I have always admired Israel because they will not take any shit.
They live the creed "Expect to Self Rescue, No one is Coming"
The United States has given Iraq around 61 billion in foreign aid. Moving on to Afghanistan, we gave them approximately 72 billion, but Israel is the top recipient of (self-rescue) over 230 billion; I think it’s safe to say they received a helping hand!
https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/business/.premium-u-s-aid-to-israel-234-billion-over-60-years-1.5234820
Israel buys, my friend
Very interesting piece, with lots of information I had no idea about.
While we are pointing out Europe's failure t wean itself from Russia's energy, we should also point out the US's (and the world's) dependence on China-adjacent chip fabs. Unlike with Russia's oil, there are few to no large scale producers in other regions. We must fix this now, or our complacency looks worse than Germany's.
80% or so of the semiconductors come from Taiwan
That China is probably considering invading
Agree completely. I understand that Intel is building a mega-giant chip factory in Ohio. Good, we need that and more. I hope it comes online very soon.
Thank you for a truly insightful analysis. One of the things I appreciate most about Bari's newsletter is these guest posts. Keep them coming please! I don't necessarily agree with everything the commentators say, and disagree with most of the comments generally, but I can rarely find such clear-headed non-ideological thinking elsewhere.
I agree fabulous forum Bari has produced here
The comments are 90% atrocious. There's so much name calling, repeating of things that are plainly not true, and Trump-revisionism. I don't understand why so much misinformation flourishes on these posts.
Depends on your definition of misinformation perhaps.
Misinformation is a polite word for lies. Say what you mean
Agreed. I generally do.
Those who love life and liberty also love Israel.
Glad the author finally got to the crux which is Joey depends is the one who greenlighted this disaster with his policies and blurts. Under Trump, Israel flourished. Under Trump, America was strong. Under Joey depends and the Obama, the world sees America as faithless.
I’ve said it before bring back the MAGA man
what history do you read???
Apparently not the npr/msnbc/cnn version
"msnbcnnpr" .... (more efficient)
What, no “+” ?
won't argue with that!
If Trump is the only person who can save the nation, we are in a sad situation. He’s not the true King in exile. This is not a criticism of Trump, it’s my despair that many think he alone can accomplish/fix our ruination.
If Trump was gone tomorrow- well there goes everything. Alas.
This is the extremist view. He can neither do all good or no good. He has opened the eyes of many on the right (as has BS on the left) to the rot that is the biden/romney/kerry/wokefest amalgam of putrid exploiters of the American people (APEAP). That alone is significant. I'm still waiting on his detractors to illustrate the pure evil he represents, especially relative to the APEAP. Most all of their howlings were either discredited or outright lies.
Ukrainian is not a core American interest. It is incredibly depressing that Israel and Turkey are working for peace, which is a core American interest. Unfortunately the uniparty Washington DC war party wants this war(like all wars) to continue.
Let’s not wrap this in “waning American hedgemony”. That is too cute of a narrative that the globalists love. This is about corruption plain and simple. Criminal corruption, starting with but far from ending with the POTUS. The international politico-military money laundering machine have used Ukraine for decades.
And the losers are everyone.
That's pretty much it in a nutshell
Thanks for the lesson I’ve received from this article. I didn’t know about a lot of this. It is smart for Israel to understand that they cannot rely on the US. We have only two viable political parties and they often switch off every two to eight years. One party is often anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian, while the other is pro-Israel and sometimes overly intrusive into Israel’s politics. But there is one very problematic issue right now, which is that President Biden is wholly incapable of doing anything on his own. He is compromised in total due to his mental incapacity and he knows it, as does the entire world. That’s why he’s happy and relieved to leave the country’s problems and our global problems to the feckless Obama holdovers while he gets to go to Delaware most weekends and forget it all.
None of this is good for America, or frankly the world. It’s devastating to see that the world can no longer count on us.
Zelensky wrong footed Israel when he engaged in a level of Holocaust denial in his claim that during WWII, the Ukrainians chose to save their Jews. To be fair, that was probably what he was taught as a child growing up in the Soviet Union. Also, while proudly parading his Jewish affiliation, his actual knowledge of its history and religion is lacking. Had he been better informed, he might more convincingly have asked Israel for help for the sake of and in memory of the 2,500 or so Ukrainians who number among the “righteous among the Gentiles” at Yad Vashem. Of course, that type of bargaining would put Ukraine in the shoes of a latter day Sodom, but extraordinary times require extraordinary gestures. In any event, it was a missed opportunity - and, quite shockingly, Ukraine continues to vote mostly against Israel in the UN.
All that said, countries have interests not friends and Thucydides observation, often given as “the strong do what they can, the weak do as they must”, continues to resonate.
Ukraine should have begun to learn this lesson when Russia took Ukraine in contravention of the Budapest Agreement that guaranteed its territorial integrity. President Obama allowed the US to turn its back on its pledge, reckoning that he would not interfere with Russia’s greater interest in Ukraine - what he called its “equities” in the Iranian context which is also why the US red line vanished in the sands of Syria.
Whether Ukraine can become a “big Israel” remains to be seen. Then again, whether the West is capable of taken a long term stand against naked aggression or will push for any settlement, no matter how disadvantageous it may be to Ukraine, just to get back to business as usual also remains to be seen.
Whatever the future course of events, China and Iran are watching just as intently as Taiwan, Israel and the Gulf States.
On point:
https://www.yadvashem.org/education/educational-materials/learning-environment/babi-yar/historical-background3.html
Thanks for this... Babi yar. No matter how many times I read about it, it’s I fathomable.
Thirty-three thousand people walked from their homes to their deaths in a couple of days. When it came to complete obliteration of other human beings, the NAZI's didn't fuck around. Everywhere they moved in. First Thing? Round up and kill the Jews and other desirables. Pol Pot learned something from that strategy.
Meanwhile, demented bread boffer? What’s with that? Maybe that’s rhetorical.
You're not a Zappa fan? "Broken Hearts are for Assholes"
Oh, I I just googled what it meant. Missed the reference.
The comparisons to Nazis in American politics nowadays is despicable. Pol Pot yes. God knows what’s going in in China and North Korea.
Terrific, deep, and insightful analysis, Lahav. Thank you. As someone far smarter than me once said, "Nations have no permanent friends, no permanent enemies, only permanent interests."
Israel's permanent interest is to not just to stay alive, but to thrive, in the angry sea of Jew-haters who wish to see the state drown.
Very clearly missing from this article is any mention of Obama, whose hostility towards Israel was visceral. It was Obama's contempt for Israel, especially with the Iran deal, that led Israel to let go of the historical relationship that the US and Israel have had.
Biden is following in Obama's foolish footsteps by trying to revive the Iran deal. When Biden asked the Saudi's to increase oil production they told him to pound sand. The Democrat's obsession with sucking up to Iran has ruined not only our relationship with Israel, but now Saudi Arabia too. The Saudi's see Iran as a threat just like the Israeli's do.
Why the author omitted mentioning Obama, who started poisoning out relationship with two important middle east allies, is a mystery.
Agree wholeheartedly. Thank you for this insightful comment.
She identified the 2015 Syrian debaucle as one of 2 reasons for Israel's position. That was Obama.
Yes, and she should have said so. She seems to want to let Obama off the hook.
Very informative. I am not alone among Americans in viewing the decline of our influence in international affairs as good news. The DC blob is so self-absorbed and detached from reality they are a danger to any country they curse by getting involved with. It is a national shame
This was a very helpful perspective. It saddens me that the U.S. is such an unreliable partner. Biden’s desire to compound Obama’s mistake with the (non-binding) JCPOA is dramatically disruptive of both U.S. , Israeli and Gulf interests. The silver lining, as Harkov delineates, is that other freedom loving nations will have to take more responsibility for their own strategic welfare. The “woke” U.S. increasingly behaves like the demented uncle at a Thanksgiving gathering.
Lava Harkov, this was an educational post. With self-preservation as the ultimate motivator, Israel's moves define realpolitik. I'm continually impressed and amazed at the country's political fighting skills. US leaders could learn from it.