UNI88 wrote: ↑Thu Jan 09, 2025 3:56 pm
GannonFan wrote: ↑Thu Jan 09, 2025 3:04 pm
Obviously Putin had a big impact on where things went. But remember, it wasn't all roses and happiness prior to that. There's a reason why Putin was able to step into power. Russia of the 1990's was close to a failed state. Yeltsin was perfectly happy to get drunk on vodka while his country floundered. I'm not sure how much we could've done to prop them up, the issues were significant and widespread. We did let a fair number of robber baron types with connections to power in the US (more friends of Bill, before that was even a term) get free reign in Russia, and that certainly didn't help matters. But Russia was always going to be an enigma - it's just what they do.
I think CH has long attempted to insinuate that putin was ready and willing to be a friend of the US and the west but that western leadership blew the opportunity. It's an oversimplistic viewpoint that fails to account for the complexities of the situation and the reality that putin, a former KGB agent, could have been using the opportunity to exploit the west.
I can agree with that. Just because Putin was the first foriegn leader to call Bush after the 9/11 attack and graciously say “anything you need” doesn’t mean he wasn’t up to no good in the long run
But he did ask both Clinton and Bush if Russia could become a NATO member and was rejected both times.
There was some goodwill early on as Putin visited Bush and stayed at his Texas ranch.
Not sure what happened but by 2005 all the fair winds of friendship vanished. Part of me believes the US strategy was you can’t treat Putin as an equal, and if so a mistake that has lead to where we are today
Maybe GF can fill in the gap. Don’t trust Klam he way to biased