By Ray McGovern, Jan. 7, 2022
A mini-debate on U.S./Russia/Ukraine, marked by the professional respect Scott Ritter and I have for each other, was hosted on Friday by The Critical Hour. Scott has had considerable experience with Russia. Like me, he is (advisedly) dismissive of the experience/expertise of President Biden’s advisers on Russia.
That Biden brought in the clowns is, actually, a scandal — and a dangerous one, colored, as it is, by a tinge of insanity as well as hubris.
As for me, the “current intelligence” mindset that I will never shake (nor would I want to) inclines me strongly toward weighing most recent events/ pronouncements against what I believe to be key traits of President Putin — not only his restraint and statesmanship but his clear concern to protect Russia from yet another calamity. The way I usually do analysis is reflected in the piece I posted early this morning, which became the jumping-off place for our mini-debate. ( See: https://original.antiwar.com/mcgovern/2022/01/06/putins-quid-no-offensive-missiles-in-abm-sites/ )
Neither Scott nor I claim clairvoyance. Scott said he hoped my more reassuring forecast — based mainly on recent straws in the wind and my assessment of Putin — turns out to have been closer to the mark. Otherwise, Good-bye, Ukraine; and Hello, decades of troubled times.