Americans must understand we will have to fight Russia at some point in time. Unfortunately, Western Powers have coddled Vladimir Putin to a point where he believes we are weak and ineffectual in stopping him, much like any bully on a school campus. The lesser the defense, the greater the power.
George W. "looked into his eyes and saw a soulβ¦." But he also saw, at the very same time, "He is a very aggressive person who wants to reinstate Soviet influence, even though the Soviet [Union] no longer exists, and therefore, I always felt it was very important for the United States to be very forceful in dealing with Putin. Not belligerent, but forceful." Obama lightly sanctioned Putin but wasn't powerful enough to cause fear in Putin to encourage him to curtail his aggression. Trump gave Putin the appearance of our being hands-off. He supported and still braces his fellow authoritarian. Putin is aware of Trump's popularity amongst fascists in America. International pacts tie Biden's options somewhat.
Sheldon Metz
Northeast side
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
