He translated Missile Crisis cables for Khrushchev and JFK

Jack Matlock Jr was also the last US Ambassador to the USSR. A man worth heeding on Ukraine.
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3 Responses to He translated Missile Crisis cables for Khrushchev and JFK

  1. Bluey says:

    And that essay will make SFA difference, no matter how much sense it makes. I’ve already been abused for stating simple geography dictates Putin or no, the Russian response would be more or less the same.

    The narrative is set, and good luck changing it now.

  2. Buccaneer says:

    The missteps of us foreign policy are the least of the problem. There is no adult in the room to make the high stakes and high pressure decisions, or to reset the course to something more sane. The apparent stalling of the Russian army is only exacerbating this problem as it gives the illusion that the current course of action could be successful. The question I have not seen asked is will the Chinese provide hands off assistance like the us is doing for Ukraine? Then what?

  3. Tel says:

    Has anyone considered the possibility that somewhere inside Russia, self-sabotage could be happening?

    The usually cold, calculating, and cautious Putin goes rapidly into freakout mode and although everyone expects him to nibble out the Russian-speaking Donbas (heck Biden even hinted as hard as he could that “small incursions” would be tolerated), and perhaps a little bit of Eastern Ukraine … instead Putin overreaches and starts a major campaign. At the same time … the previously ruthless and methodical Russian Army becomes a clown show and starts tripping over their own feet, failing to supply their tanks with fuel, forgetting to ensure air support, unable to coordinate.

    Internal sabotage is one possible explanation: screw up the chain of command by giving exceptionally favourable reports in one direction, and then completely different reports in the other direction.

    Now go through the long list of places you have seen self-sabotage elsewhere:
    [1] EU scuttling their own energy supply.
    [2] USA going into economic bozo mode.
    [3] Governments in the thrall of the World Health Organization despite repeated bad advice.
    [4] Crappy mRNA shots claiming to be 95% effective at something, but certainly not effective at stopping COVID.
    [5] Nutty protest movements like BLM creating chaos and trying to shut down police forces.

    If the Western nations are being rotted out from within, what makes you think the Russian Federation is immune? Maybe there’s a bigger picture here … but this is entirely speculative.

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