I believe it was on NPR that I heard someone ask whether the United States would be willing to give up several SW border states in a conflict with Mexico (and allow all of the Americans there to simply become Mexican citizens even if they didn’t want to) just to end a border conflict with Mexico. And when you put it that way, no—I don’t think we would be OK with that, which helps to understand why Ukraine isn’t willing to just abandon a chunk of their land and citizens just to appease Russia and end the fighting.
Thank you, Sharon. It feels like something has shifted in the past year as more Republicans want to pull funding from Ukraine. It seems clear that Russia’s efforts to undermine our election in favor of Trump, Trump’s public adoration of Putin, and Elon’s meetings with Putin and subsequently Elon’s heavy involvement in this election), are the source of this shift. Not to mention Tulsi Gabbard, potentially being head of security and her alleged connections with Russia.
How did the party of Reagan become this way? I grew up in the 80s where there was a constant fear of the Soviet Union and the arms race. The Berlin Wall was crucial turning point. It makes me wonder if the wall would have come down under a Trump presidency.
Our allies are worried and are gearing up for the Trump presidency. The era of the US being the beacon of democracy is ending. There is simply no reality where Putin’s influence over our president and his advisers is good for our country and world stability.
In 1956, Nikita Khrushchev said, “we will take America without firing a shot. We do not have to invade the U.S. We will destroy you from the inside.”
I fear that we are seeing the beginning stages of this. We have one political party assisting in the spread of Russian propaganda. We have Russian trolls/bots permeating our social media to disrupt our elections. We have a President elected who has repeatedly shown that he will kowtow to a murderous dictator. Trump will let Putin take Ukraine and it seems like he’s intent to systematically dismantling our protections here as well.
10000%. And ironically the “patriots” are the loudest supporters. I view all kinds of media and the posts and comments on Fox are like bizarro world. How can you be a patriot and support people in bed with a dictator???
I imagine that the conspiracies about Zelensky frivolously spending American funding for his own personal benefit are influencing Trump’s backing and the GOP. These haven’t been proven to be true and are often spread by right-wing media. It feels like Russian propaganda that has infiltrated its way in to our country.
It very much has infiltrated our country. Did anyone see this report regarding disinformation that came out about a month ago? It is fascinating and frightening.
Under what authority does Elon Musk operate when he decided the starlink satellite system could not be used over Crimea? What is the reasoning Trump is proposing Ukraine cannot join NATO for twenty years?
The US biggest weakness comes from privatizing core government functions like space and satellites. The fact that Musk was permitted to deploy Starling without the government having ultimate control over it is insanity. There is apparently nothing stopping Musk from turning the use of that system against the US.
Privatization is just funneling tax dollars into corporate profits. Profits that could be used to benefit the country that instead go into the the pockets of wealthy executives and shareholders. Most large defense contractors have no other customer than the US government.
I wonder if the answers to your questions have anything to do with the correspondence that both Musk and Trump have been having with Putin over the past couple years.
That's what I don't get about older Trump supporters who loved Reagan. Putin came up through the KGB and Trump claims to be friends with him. That should be firing all the red flags and alarm bells for those people, but it isn't. Trump has as much influence over Putin as I do. I also think it's insane that anyone believes that Putin believes Ukraine is a threat to Russia. Please. He's trying to re-establish the Soviet Union.
Not much has been mentioned in the media about the (seemingly) inevitable collapse of Russia's economy. They are currently experiencing "stagflation" (simultaneous negative GDP growth and inflation.) IF Putin truly commits to continuing this war in the coming months, his only choice is to literally start printing money--flooding the Russian economy with cash. This would drive inflation to insurmountable levels (think 1930's Germany.) Given that the first objective to 'winning' a war is to force your enemy into economic failure...(shoot to maim, not kill. A wounded soldier is more expensive than a body bag)...I believe it's only a matter of time before Putin is brought to his knees. Unfortunately, I also believe that Trump (& Musk) is hoping to use the executive branch of our government to protect 'personal' assets in Russia. Hence...a move toward appeasement. God help us all.
Also, Sharon, your Stalin podcast series was UNBELIEVABLE - such an insightful recap of the Russia/Ukraine relationship. Anyone interested in learning more about the history between these two nations should give it a listen.
Thank you for discussing this topic Sharon. This is a gigantic topic that has been diminished by Trump and his people. There are many pieces of this war that have been given little attention - there are significant numbers of Russian people who want democracy- there are battalions of Russian soldiers fighting for Ukraine. Russia has had much of their military slaughtered and Ukraine has offered safe passage to any who wish to surrender and many have. This war is very winnable FOR Ukraine. And democracy. The Ukrainians who are in danger of being handed over to Russia by the U.S. are terrified of this- Russia had annexed Ukraine years before WW2 and starved millions of Ukrainians and sent thousands to Siberia. The remnants of these families do not ever want to go under Russian rule again. The U.S. should have pragmatic fear of Russia as our parents and grandparents did. I have very real fear of Trump’s arrogance placing us in jeopardy by abandoning Ukraine. I have one hope that the oligarchs behind Trump want the defense money more than trump wants whatever deal he can make from this.
I think there is a Christian Nationalism take to the pro Russian attitude. I remember read about Franklin Graham stating to the affect that we shouldn't be fight a Christian Russia which was echoed by the visiting Metropolitan from Moscow. There been a growing divide between Christian vs Non Christian in the world. Something to think about
I completely agree with this and I don't think it should be overlooked. As an Eastern Orthodox Christian myself, I have been seeing this romanticization of Russia (from outside of Russia) as a Holy Empire and Moscow as the "Third Rome" for a long, long time now, and it's only been accelerated by the many passionate young American converts from conservative Protestantism to Orthodoxy (or even traditional Catholicism, like JD Vance) who have found what they believe to be the One True Church on Earth and who now believe that means we should remake the world as a religious empire; it's been trendy for a while now among the hyper-conservative, post-liberal Orthodox and Catholic folks to openly embrace "monarchism" while rejecting democracy. TBH, this is part of why JD Vance concerns me so much more than Trump, because his positions are very rooted in this worldview.
Oh, absolutely! I did not mean to imply otherwise but I do so appreciate your clarification: within the faith this is a fringe movement that does not align with mainstream Orthodox theology and does not have the support of the Church outside of Moscow, but the movement does unfortunately overlap with some increasingly powerful political players here in the U.S. and what was once a shadowy online conversation is moving more into the accepted conversation of those political players, which is what I was (perhaps imperfectly) intending to highlight.
I really appreciate this Preamble. I am curious to know why Ukraine hasn't joined NATO in the last 16 years. I get - as much as someone who is not a NATO or international affairs expert can get - that joining NATO isn't an online app + submit button = member. But in 2008, NATO agreed Ukraine will become a member. Since then, NATO has also said the war that started in 2022 must be over before Ukraine can join...but was it close to being accepted prior to that? I also found it interesting that NATO asks every member country to 'commit 2% of their national Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to defence spending, to help ensure the Alliance's continued military readiness. This decision was taken in response to Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea, and amid broader instability in the Middle East. The 2% of GDP guideline is an important indicator of the political resolve of individual Allies to contribute to NATO’s common defence efforts. In 2024, 23 Allies (out of 32) are expected to meet or exceed the target of investing at least 2% of GDP in defence, compared to only three Allies in 2014.' Some additional NATO information below for anyone interested.
From what I could find it's been a looong and winding road, including the Ukrainian parliament passing a bill in 2010 (the bill was proposed by pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych) "that excluded the goal of integration into Euro-Atlantic security and NATO membership from the country's national security strategy" at which point Ukraine shifted priority toward 'interoperability' with NATO. Then in 2014 Russia annexed Crimea and Ukraine's NATO membership was back in consideration, a goal Ukraine has been moving toward ever since, though it should be noted that "[in] March 2016, President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker stated that it would take at least 20–25 years for Ukraine to join the EU and NATO" given the significant targeted goals that Ukraine would have to meet first. And then, of course, 2022 happened. There is a great deal of detail in this overview, starting from the 2008 Bucharest summit through to present day: :https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukraine%E2%80%93NATO_relations#Bucharest_summit
This is a thoughtful analysis of the Ukraine/Russia war. However this statement kind of jumped out at me, " It strengthens NATO and helps to bolster the defense industrial base in the United States, Europe, and the world." I know that the statement refers to the idea that degrading Russia somehow makes all the other nations safer. But, referencing another wise thing you wrote about, exercising skepticism, not cynicism, where can I look up how much money our weapons manufacturers donate to campaigns of US politicians. Our defense industrial base is making a boatload of money on this war. Surely this must have some influence on whether they want to buy weapons to give to Ukraine.
I believe it was on NPR that I heard someone ask whether the United States would be willing to give up several SW border states in a conflict with Mexico (and allow all of the Americans there to simply become Mexican citizens even if they didn’t want to) just to end a border conflict with Mexico. And when you put it that way, no—I don’t think we would be OK with that, which helps to understand why Ukraine isn’t willing to just abandon a chunk of their land and citizens just to appease Russia and end the fighting.
I don’t trust Trump one bit. Putin is his pal. I fear for Ukraine. 🇺🇦
If Trump were president in WWII, we’d all be speaking German right now.
I fear for the U.S. and the world.
Yesterday I registered new citizens to vote at a Naturalization Ceremony.
Over 50 countries! Very heartwarming and meaningful. Not gonna lie, I almost cried for the one Ukrainian guy.
Thank you, Sharon. It feels like something has shifted in the past year as more Republicans want to pull funding from Ukraine. It seems clear that Russia’s efforts to undermine our election in favor of Trump, Trump’s public adoration of Putin, and Elon’s meetings with Putin and subsequently Elon’s heavy involvement in this election), are the source of this shift. Not to mention Tulsi Gabbard, potentially being head of security and her alleged connections with Russia.
How did the party of Reagan become this way? I grew up in the 80s where there was a constant fear of the Soviet Union and the arms race. The Berlin Wall was crucial turning point. It makes me wonder if the wall would have come down under a Trump presidency.
Our allies are worried and are gearing up for the Trump presidency. The era of the US being the beacon of democracy is ending. There is simply no reality where Putin’s influence over our president and his advisers is good for our country and world stability.
In 1956, Nikita Khrushchev said, “we will take America without firing a shot. We do not have to invade the U.S. We will destroy you from the inside.”
I fear that we are seeing the beginning stages of this. We have one political party assisting in the spread of Russian propaganda. We have Russian trolls/bots permeating our social media to disrupt our elections. We have a President elected who has repeatedly shown that he will kowtow to a murderous dictator. Trump will let Putin take Ukraine and it seems like he’s intent to systematically dismantling our protections here as well.
10000%. And ironically the “patriots” are the loudest supporters. I view all kinds of media and the posts and comments on Fox are like bizarro world. How can you be a patriot and support people in bed with a dictator???
Yes, here is a news story regarding the disinformation campaign (I posted above too). It's frightening. https://www.nbcnews.com/specials/russian-disinformation-2024-election-storm-1516/index.html
I'm sure this is not going to stop just because the election is over either. We have to be vigilant.
20 THOUSAND children. My god.
That’s what stood out to me the most in this article. Unimaginable.
I imagine that the conspiracies about Zelensky frivolously spending American funding for his own personal benefit are influencing Trump’s backing and the GOP. These haven’t been proven to be true and are often spread by right-wing media. It feels like Russian propaganda that has infiltrated its way in to our country.
It very much has infiltrated our country. Did anyone see this report regarding disinformation that came out about a month ago? It is fascinating and frightening.
https://www.nbcnews.com/specials/russian-disinformation-2024-election-storm-1516/index.html
Yes. Disturbing. I’m interested I this topic to the detriment of my mental health
Propaganda by way of social media. 😔
Under what authority does Elon Musk operate when he decided the starlink satellite system could not be used over Crimea? What is the reasoning Trump is proposing Ukraine cannot join NATO for twenty years?
The US biggest weakness comes from privatizing core government functions like space and satellites. The fact that Musk was permitted to deploy Starling without the government having ultimate control over it is insanity. There is apparently nothing stopping Musk from turning the use of that system against the US.
Privatization is just funneling tax dollars into corporate profits. Profits that could be used to benefit the country that instead go into the the pockets of wealthy executives and shareholders. Most large defense contractors have no other customer than the US government.
I wonder if the answers to your questions have anything to do with the correspondence that both Musk and Trump have been having with Putin over the past couple years.
That's what I don't get about older Trump supporters who loved Reagan. Putin came up through the KGB and Trump claims to be friends with him. That should be firing all the red flags and alarm bells for those people, but it isn't. Trump has as much influence over Putin as I do. I also think it's insane that anyone believes that Putin believes Ukraine is a threat to Russia. Please. He's trying to re-establish the Soviet Union.
Not much has been mentioned in the media about the (seemingly) inevitable collapse of Russia's economy. They are currently experiencing "stagflation" (simultaneous negative GDP growth and inflation.) IF Putin truly commits to continuing this war in the coming months, his only choice is to literally start printing money--flooding the Russian economy with cash. This would drive inflation to insurmountable levels (think 1930's Germany.) Given that the first objective to 'winning' a war is to force your enemy into economic failure...(shoot to maim, not kill. A wounded soldier is more expensive than a body bag)...I believe it's only a matter of time before Putin is brought to his knees. Unfortunately, I also believe that Trump (& Musk) is hoping to use the executive branch of our government to protect 'personal' assets in Russia. Hence...a move toward appeasement. God help us all.
Also, Sharon, your Stalin podcast series was UNBELIEVABLE - such an insightful recap of the Russia/Ukraine relationship. Anyone interested in learning more about the history between these two nations should give it a listen.
Thank you for discussing this topic Sharon. This is a gigantic topic that has been diminished by Trump and his people. There are many pieces of this war that have been given little attention - there are significant numbers of Russian people who want democracy- there are battalions of Russian soldiers fighting for Ukraine. Russia has had much of their military slaughtered and Ukraine has offered safe passage to any who wish to surrender and many have. This war is very winnable FOR Ukraine. And democracy. The Ukrainians who are in danger of being handed over to Russia by the U.S. are terrified of this- Russia had annexed Ukraine years before WW2 and starved millions of Ukrainians and sent thousands to Siberia. The remnants of these families do not ever want to go under Russian rule again. The U.S. should have pragmatic fear of Russia as our parents and grandparents did. I have very real fear of Trump’s arrogance placing us in jeopardy by abandoning Ukraine. I have one hope that the oligarchs behind Trump want the defense money more than trump wants whatever deal he can make from this.
My question is do we teach history of WWII still? Is it a problem because people are not aware of dangerous past?
I think there is a Christian Nationalism take to the pro Russian attitude. I remember read about Franklin Graham stating to the affect that we shouldn't be fight a Christian Russia which was echoed by the visiting Metropolitan from Moscow. There been a growing divide between Christian vs Non Christian in the world. Something to think about
I completely agree with this and I don't think it should be overlooked. As an Eastern Orthodox Christian myself, I have been seeing this romanticization of Russia (from outside of Russia) as a Holy Empire and Moscow as the "Third Rome" for a long, long time now, and it's only been accelerated by the many passionate young American converts from conservative Protestantism to Orthodoxy (or even traditional Catholicism, like JD Vance) who have found what they believe to be the One True Church on Earth and who now believe that means we should remake the world as a religious empire; it's been trendy for a while now among the hyper-conservative, post-liberal Orthodox and Catholic folks to openly embrace "monarchism" while rejecting democracy. TBH, this is part of why JD Vance concerns me so much more than Trump, because his positions are very rooted in this worldview.
Oh, absolutely! I did not mean to imply otherwise but I do so appreciate your clarification: within the faith this is a fringe movement that does not align with mainstream Orthodox theology and does not have the support of the Church outside of Moscow, but the movement does unfortunately overlap with some increasingly powerful political players here in the U.S. and what was once a shadowy online conversation is moving more into the accepted conversation of those political players, which is what I was (perhaps imperfectly) intending to highlight.
Thank you for adding your perspective ❤️
I really appreciate this Preamble. I am curious to know why Ukraine hasn't joined NATO in the last 16 years. I get - as much as someone who is not a NATO or international affairs expert can get - that joining NATO isn't an online app + submit button = member. But in 2008, NATO agreed Ukraine will become a member. Since then, NATO has also said the war that started in 2022 must be over before Ukraine can join...but was it close to being accepted prior to that? I also found it interesting that NATO asks every member country to 'commit 2% of their national Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to defence spending, to help ensure the Alliance's continued military readiness. This decision was taken in response to Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea, and amid broader instability in the Middle East. The 2% of GDP guideline is an important indicator of the political resolve of individual Allies to contribute to NATO’s common defence efforts. In 2024, 23 Allies (out of 32) are expected to meet or exceed the target of investing at least 2% of GDP in defence, compared to only three Allies in 2014.' Some additional NATO information below for anyone interested.
NATO's statement Ukraine: https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_192648.htm
NATO's statement about Russia: https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_50090.htm
NATO's statement about Defense and 2% Guidelines: https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_49198.htm
From what I could find it's been a looong and winding road, including the Ukrainian parliament passing a bill in 2010 (the bill was proposed by pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych) "that excluded the goal of integration into Euro-Atlantic security and NATO membership from the country's national security strategy" at which point Ukraine shifted priority toward 'interoperability' with NATO. Then in 2014 Russia annexed Crimea and Ukraine's NATO membership was back in consideration, a goal Ukraine has been moving toward ever since, though it should be noted that "[in] March 2016, President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker stated that it would take at least 20–25 years for Ukraine to join the EU and NATO" given the significant targeted goals that Ukraine would have to meet first. And then, of course, 2022 happened. There is a great deal of detail in this overview, starting from the 2008 Bucharest summit through to present day: :https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukraine%E2%80%93NATO_relations#Bucharest_summit
This is a thoughtful analysis of the Ukraine/Russia war. However this statement kind of jumped out at me, " It strengthens NATO and helps to bolster the defense industrial base in the United States, Europe, and the world." I know that the statement refers to the idea that degrading Russia somehow makes all the other nations safer. But, referencing another wise thing you wrote about, exercising skepticism, not cynicism, where can I look up how much money our weapons manufacturers donate to campaigns of US politicians. Our defense industrial base is making a boatload of money on this war. Surely this must have some influence on whether they want to buy weapons to give to Ukraine.
This might help? https://www.opensecrets.org/industries/indus?Ind=D
Also this: https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2023/10/defense-contractors-spent-70-million-lobbying-ahead-of-annual-defense-budget-bill-ndaa/
It's actually not as much as I expected but still a lot of greenery.