Defending Ukraine from Russian Aggression is Vital to OUR National Security
Putin has directed a series of invasions of Ukraine, seeking control of Ukraine either through annexation like he has already claimed in Crimea, or as a Soviet-style puppet state. If he is successful, he’ll keep trying with aggressive takeovers of one or more of the 3 Baltic nations, Moldova, and so on.
Trump’s idea is, “Let Russia have it, it’s none of our business.” (He actually called it “genius.” -Why?) That is the same as when France, the UK (and other western countries) told Hitler (1936-38), “Go ahead and put your troops in the Rhineland against the Versailles Treaty, we won’t make a fuss; then – okay, annex Austria as your puppet State (the Anschluss); then – okay take the German part of Czechoslovakia … and then there will be peace.” But instead, less than a year later, Hitler invaded Poland, followed by Holland, Belgium, and France. And there was no peace, only World War 2 instead. Trump seems incapable of learning from this history.
It is Ignorant to Say “The USA Should Not Fight Any Wars.” Instead, Discernment is Needed to Determine Which Acts of War Support our National Security and Which Acts of War are Something Else and thus Detrimental to Our Security
Not being “the world’s policeman” is a good sound bite but should not lead us to isolationism. Involving ourselves in Civil Wars (like our many years in Vietnam) or pointless wars (like our many years in Iraq) were wrong, but wars of self-defense are not wrong (like defending Europe from German and Italian fascism 1940-1945) ! Trump seems incapable of applying discernment about different types of war, when it comes to use of our military overseas. To him, any use of the military overseas is suspect.
Our national security depends on our allies; we cannot “go it alone.” In a similar way, he doesn’t have a high regard for the work necessary to build alliances that are the bulwark for our country. Defending Europe today includes Ukraine. Europe (NATO) has said NO to Russia regarding the Ukraine aggression because they don’t want more countries to be violated. We must stand with Europe because we need Europe as part of our own security.
Yes, We Must Learn from the Past – – But Also Be Aware of Shifting Times and Dangers
Clearly there is a movement today, like in the 1930s, when authoritarian states joined together as the “Axis Powers.” (Germany, Italy, and Japan). However, today it seems to be Russia, Iran, North Korea, and China that are becoming the new Axis, each for reasons of its own leader. The latter three are all supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine with weapons and equipment. Like it or not we must stand up for Ukraine’s freedom in the face of these four nations or try to win some over. We must support Ukraine; that is the nexis for our national security in the years ahead. Trump is not going to defend us because he does not understand any of the above. His ignorance makes him a threat to freedom in general.
Trump Loves Authoritarian Leaders More than Those that Love Liberty.
He likes many of their fascist tendancies. But identifying with dictators, lavishing them with praise, or issuing them wild threats are all dangerous to our national security. Consider Trump’s foolish praise to these dictators:
1-Like the dictator of Russia, Vladimir Putin.
“I went in yesterday and there was a television screen, and I said, ‘This is genius.’ Putin declares a big portion of the Ukraine — of Ukraine — Putin declares it as independent. Oh, that’s wonderful. He used the word ‘independent’ and ‘we’re gonna go out and we’re gonna go in and we’re gonna help keep peace.’ You gotta say that’s pretty savvy.”
-Donald Trump on Putin on 2/23/22 (Politico)
What is he even saying? The conquest of an independent country by a major power is… genius and savvy? Learn more from the video below.
2-Like the dictator of China, Xi Jinping.
Those not totally loyal to Xi are forced into retirement, jailed, or executed. But Trump thinks he is “Number 1.”
“Top of the line. President Xi is a brilliant man. If you went all over Hollywood to look for somebody to play the role of President Xi, you couldn’t find [them], there’s nobody like that: the look, the brain, the whole thing.”
-Donald Trump on Xi on 4/11/23
Dictatorship is about control, and censorship is in the dictator’s toolbox. For example, Xi has increased control of internet usage inside China by blocking Google, Facebook, and in April 2019, all versions of Wikipedia were blocked. Likewise, the situation for users of Weibo (the main Chinese socil media platform) has been described as a change from fearing one’s account would be deleted, to fearing arrest. Bloggers who shared more than 500 times any content considered “defamatory” became subject to a three-year prison term. In 2017, telecommunications carriers were instructed to block individuals’ use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) by February 2018.
3-Like the dictator of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Of a total of 235 journalists in the jail cells of the world for the “crime” of news gathering, writing, or publishing in 2020, the highest number, 67, were in Turkish jails. And yet Trump has a good feeling about the dictator Erdoğan.
“I know him well, he is a friend, and I have learned firsthand how much he loves his Country and the great people of Turkey, which he has lifted to a new level of prominence and respect!” (On Truth Social)
-Donald Trump on Erdoğan (Truth Social post) on 5/28/23
4-Like the dictator of Hungary, Viktor Orbán.
Orbán and his party in Hungary hijacked democratic institutions. The nationwide right-wing media network is a crucial component of this authoritarian power. As the Voice of America reported in 2022, Orbán’s allies “have created a pervasive conservative media ecosystem that dominates the airwaves and generally echoes the positions of the Orbán government.”
His government gerrymandered local districts and allowed voters to register outside their home districts, both aimed at favoring Orbán and his party. The government also staffed the public prosecutor’s office with loyalists, ensuring that any misconduct by those in power stays hidden.
Republicans in the U.S. have followed a similar trajectory with their support of Trump as his rhetoric grows more authoritarian. Trump says if he wins the election, he wants to be “a dictator” for one day. A recent poll shows that 74% of Republicans surveyed said it would be a good idea for Trump to “be a dictator only on the first day of his second term.”
Orbán has spent years undermining the independence of Hungary’s judiciary, ensuring its rulings are friendly to his government and allies. While still an independent institution, the U.S. Supreme Court – with three Trump-nominated justices – has become a pillar of Trumpism, handing down rulings overturning the constitutional right to abortion and limiting civil rights.
Trump has previously praised Orbán, who opposes migration and LGBTQ rights, and refers to his governing style as an “illiberal democracy.” Trump hosted him at the White House in 2019. — above paragraphs from Orbán/Hungary (The Conversation, 3/7/24) See Resources below.
Yet Trump has said (a bit clumsily) …
“I was very honored. There’s a man, Viktor Orbán, did anyone ever hear of him? He’s probably, like, one of the strongest leaders anywhere in the world. He’s the leader of Turkey. Fronts on both Russia and… but Viktor Orbán, he’s the head of Hungary and he runs a tough… let me tell you he runs it properly, he runs it strong with crime and everything else he runs it strong and he doesn’t let terrorists into his country. They said what do you recommend for Joe Biden if you could tell him anything. ‘I’d tell him to resign and let Trump become president’…”
-Donald Trump on Orbán on 10/23/23
Just to be clear Orbán is the leader of Hungary, not Turkey. And Russia does NOT front the border of Hungary, or Turkey either, for that matter.
5-Like the dictator of North Korea, Kim Jong Un.
North Korea, ruled by a family dynasty since 1945, where huge statues of the family leaders abound in cities and remote rural areas – and no other statues, where children and adults are often singing songs of praise of the leaders and their bountiful goodness to the people, where people all believe the fake history they were taught – including that the 1950-53 Korean War started when the United States invaded Korea. Essentially, this dictatorship is an extreme version of a personality cult that surpasses that of both its original influences, Joseph Stalin and Mao Zedong. Kim Jong Un, the current “leader,” has maintained absolute control by using mass arrests, prison camps with 100,000 political prisoners, and executions, including the purge and execution of his uncle, Jang Song-thaek, in 2013, and his half-brother, Kim Jong Nam, in Malaysia in 2017.
Trump meanwhile note Trump’s casual way of talking about this ruthless man in June of 2018:
And notice the progression from “identifying” with Kim [in the first quote] to “love” and back to “threats” in the series of quotes below:
6/12/18: “Great personality and very smart. Good combination. He’s a worthy negotiator. He’s negotiating on behalf of his people, a very worthy, very smart negotiator, absolutely. And we had a terrific day, and we learned a lot about each other and about our countries.”
6/16/18: “He’s the head of a country, and I mean he is the strong head, don’t let anyone think any different. He speaks and his people stand up at attention – I want my people to do the same.”
9/30/18: “I was really being tough, and so was he. We went back and forth and then we fell in love. No, really! He wrote me beautiful letters, and they’re great letters, and we fell in love.”
2/25/19: “I like him. I get along with him great. We have a fantastic chemistry.”
12/2/19: “We’re by far the most powerful country in the world. And, hopefully, we don’t have to use it, but if we do, we’ll use it. He definitely likes sending rockets up, doesn’t he? That’s why I call him ‘Rocket Man.'”
7/19/24: “I got along very well with Kim Jong Un. It’s nice to get along with someone that has a lot of nuclear weapons. We stopped the missile launches, but now North Korea is acting up again.”
-Donald Trump on Kim on various dates
Summary.
Trump does not understand history or how to conduct a foreign policy. He is more interested in a big “score” that is ego-satisfying. Narcissism again.
Trump continues to prefer the company of national leaders that exhibit varying degrees of authoritarianism. This is not and never has been American policy, nor should it be.
Resources:
–> History
(Wikik[edia) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Causes_of_World_War_II
–> Alliance of Authoritarians
(Foreign Policy, 11/29/23) https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/11/29/axis-of-evil-russia-china-iran-north-korea-bush-era/
–> Trumps Comments of praise for Authoritarian Leaders
Overview (Politico, 12/18/23): https://www.politico.com/news/2023/12/18/trump-praise-authoritarians-00132350
Putin/Russia (Politico, 2/23/22): https://www.politico.com/news/2022/02/23/trump-putin-ukraine-invasion-00010923
Xi/China – How China went from a brutal dictatoship under Mao, to mini democratization (only among the top leaders) and huge national growth under Deng Xiaoping and back to a single person dictatorship under Xi (Vox, 11/28/23): https://youtu.be/1ZKBaRsP1gY?feature=shared
Erdogan/Turkey – Turkey’s 25 year descent from a secular government to an Islamic government and from a largely democratic government into a dictatorship (Java Discover, 8/3/23): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4kNgomrxEA
Erdogan/Turkey – Turkey’s Erdogan Plays Dictator in Constitutional Fight (Cato Institute, 4/26/17): https://www.cato.org/commentary/turkeys-erdogan-plays-dictator-constitutional-fight-divides-nation-popularity
Orban/Hungary (Hindustani Times, 10/24/23): https://youtu.be/2DFgSLMwu2g?feature=shared
Orban/Hungary (The Conversation, 3/7/24): https://theconversation.com/i-watched-hungarys-democracy-dissolve-into-authoritarianism-as-a-member-of-parliament-and-i-see-troubling-parallels-in-trumpism-and-its-appeal-to-workers-224930
Kim/North Korea (Mother Jones, 8/2/19): https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2019/08/trump-praises-kim-jong-uns-beautiful-vision-for-his-country/
Kim/North Korea – (CNN travels into North Korea on tour): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyugVyGlWTw
Kim/North Korea – The Return of “Rocketman” (Slate, 12/17/19): https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2019/12/north-korea-trump-kim-rocket-man.html
