You Don't Have to Be a Russia Hawk To Care - by Josh Marshall

[DonViejo]

PublishedDECEMBER 18, 2016, 3:51 PM EDT

I've been meaning to write this post for several days. It's a topic I've touched upon at various points over the last six months. But President Obama's press conference on Friday is a good opportunity to revisit the issue and write it.

You don't need to a Russia hawk to care about the hacking and electoral subversion story. And vice versa: just because you think the electoral subversion is a big deal doesn't mean you're a hawk. After I wrote this post in late July, the post quickly got a lot of favorable attention from the US Russia hawks. That's fine. I know a lot of these people. And on this issue we have a common concern. But if you've been reading me over the years, you know I have a very different view of our interests and the actual threats we face from Russia.

This doesn't mean I'm very sympathetic to Russia in geopolitical terms. Quite the contrary. I have a fairly dark view of Russia today. But I do not see Russia as the principal threat facing the US today, if indeed there is a 'principal threat' facing the US today.

Over the course of recent months, as the Russian hacking story, the more ambiguous 'fake news' story and Russian interventions in Ukraine and Syria have joined together in the US public mind, there's been a common refrain that Mitt Romney, not Obama, had it right in 2012 when he said Russia was the United States principal adversary in the world. I didn't think that was true then and I don't now. All the talk about Russia being 'on the march' worldwide or challenging US power as the dominant global military or economic power is just plan nonsense.

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http://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/you-don-t-have-to-be-a-russia-hawk-to-care

[randome]

1. Mr. Marshall usually has it right.

[hr][font color="blue"][center]Stop looking for heroes. BE one.[/center][/font][hr]

[KittyWampus]

2. I hate to say Oligarchs again... but that seems to be what's happening. Subvert western Democracy.

Subvert western, participatory democracies and sell the Commons to the highest bidders. Use Rightwing white nationalism to your favor as you stoke anti-Muslim sentiment.

Selling the commons is an old strategy in Europe. As is stoking anti-Muslim sentiment.

Leave a husk of democracy, I believe in Russia it's called a "Managed Democracy". So there's the pretense of Democracy.

Befuddle people with fake news and chaos.

I think the very wealthiest people on this planet are more than happy to strategize together and work with leaders like Putin.

I guess my biggest concern is economic hollowing out of our world's Democracy. And a willingness to throw ethics and morality to the wind as the wealthiest create conflict and use bogies to keep people insecure and frightened.

"We have nothing to fear but fear itself".