The war hawk is there again

For America’s national security hawks, old habits are hard to die for.

Washington Post columnist Max Boot is probably best known these days as a Trump is never conservative, a figure who spent most of his career with the Republican Party and later repent of all. However, before that, he was leading for many years cheerleader for America war in Iraq – a disaster that in recent years he admitted to be “All of this is a big mistake.“

One might think that such big mistakes (and admirable willingness to admit mistakes) would show humility in itself on the ensuing problems of war and peace. But with a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine, Boot was once again setting the stage for actions that would make war possible.

In his latest column, Boot urges American leaders to rein in Russia Putin before Putin uses threats and military force to restore old love Soviet Empire. As part of those efforts, Boot proposes an active expansion of the NATO alliance. The organization “needs to strengthen its military presence in Eastern Europe,” writes Boot, “and renew efforts to bring Sweden and Finland into the union to make it clear that Putin’s efforts to cripple NATO will backfire.”

That is a terrible idea.

It’s not clear that countries like Sweden and Finland really would like join NATO. Sweden actively cooperates with the military alliance – and the country’s leaders have clarify that Russia will not decide its future on that front – but the current ruling coalition still supports official neutral. Meanwhile, in Finland, only 28 percent The country’s population liked the idea.

More importantly, Putin see clearly NATO expansion as a threat – demands a guarantee that the organization denied membership to Ukraine and other former Soviet states. Western experts have assured themselves that the Russian leader is just making excuses to extend the country’s dominance and control over neighboring countries, and that may be true. However, it is likely that real efforts to expand NATO will be welcomed by Russia as an act of provocation. Why go there? Talking about NATO expansion during this crisis allows the hawks to take a hard stance against Moscow without prompting the United States to enter a real war, but it also adds fuel to the fire and makes war worse. should be more feasible.

Probably all these changes if Russia actually entered the war against Ukraine. There may be no way to avoid the outbreak of conflict and violence. However, that has not happened yet. Now is the time to reduce stress, not elevate it.