Biden's play for "Peace in our time"
There are times when tremendous forces align in mysterious symmetry so vast that the future arrives as an overwhelming, tidal torrent. Survivors gaze back bemoaning the past ignorance revealed and starkly exposed by hindsight. If only we had known then what we so plainly know now.
This is not one of those times.
Our present future does threaten to arrive as a pyroclastic torrent -- but not due to any vast, mysterious forces. Instead, everything now hinges entirely and only on the intent of one man alone. One man whose sole intent alone dictates all Russia's military actions. One man so mad to not just continue threatening nuclear escalation -- but actually sent live nuclear-armed jets to overfly Sweden on March 2nd . One man we fear so mad it has broken our faith in the MAD -- mutually assured destruction -- equation keeping the planet whole.
Everything hinges on this one man we fear totally unhinged.
Except it doesn't. That's what Putin wants you to think. That's intimidated, naïve American fear talking.
Those more fully vested in support of Ukraine keep re-assuring us: Putin only understands the language of force -- and fear. He speaks that language exceedingly, brilliantly well.
Unfortunately, the Biden administration's too-grudging assistance while Ukraine fights our war for freedom strongly suggests Biden believes otherwise. As if Biden has been too thoroughly cowed to even understand Putin speaking the language of force. Instead, Biden can't seem to stop apprehensively asking: "What if Putin really is mad? What if he's not speaking the language of force but, instead, is genuinely unhinged?" Thus, Biden's left hand tentatively reaches out to help Ukraine. While his right hand constantly keeps, somewhat desperately and extremely anxiously, virtue signaling at Putin. As if to say, "Please, please, don't get triggered Mr. Putin. We only help Ukraine a little, see? We don't really mean it."
How absurd. If Putin indeed is mad then no virtue signaling will keep him from diving headfirst for the red button. If he's truly mad then there's no telling what could set him off. Or whether his advisors and sycophants even keep him advised and.. well, sycoed. It is time to cease asking if Putin really is mad and, instead, recognize that in the language of force -- and fear -- an aggressor's intimation that they are capable of anything at anytime is a standard, well-worn, extremely effective terror tactic.
Let's not get confused about this, though. Just because Putin may have succeeded in terrorizing so many including Biden, by no means does that guarantee he won't resort to nuclear or other weapons of mass destruction. It is fruitless and self-defeating to speculate what would psychologically satisfy Putin. The struggle to not trigger tyrants leads only to disastrously counter-productive consequences. It is only by re-learning the rudiments of the language of force -- and fear -- that we can succeed in communicating with him.
Rudiments of the language of force. If Biden continues virtue signaling Putin will become ever more emboldened. His confidence will continue to rise, brim, overflow in increasing aggression. He will know it makes zero difference how many troops NATO has deployed at his borders or how relatively weak and incompetent his armies are. For we shall always cringe away in retreat from his threatened -- or real -- appetite for destruction. Conversely however -- Ukrainian bravery and sacrifice in self-defense have exposed how militarily weak and incompetent Putin's armies really are. That may be the inevitable case with totalitarian regimes of unavoidably extreme corruption, but yet far more so now while Putin's armies remain dejectedly, mutinously mired in the destruction of Ukraine. Putin's Russia is now in a position of unprecedented military weakness exceeding even that of the collapsing Soviet Union.
In the language of force -- and fear -- this is the crux. This, clearly, is what Zelensky was indicating to Biden when helicopters mounted the successful attack in Russian territory. "See how easy it is? Will you please stop blocking access to Soviet-era planes, tanks, missile systems? Will you stop telling us to appease, to take Putin's deal and let him win? Can you not let us strike back in the war for freedom we fight on the West's behalf? What are you waiting for? Russia to regroup and conquer eastern Ukraine? Putin to save sufficient face in order to return emboldened?"
In this time of unprecedented weakness for Putin, were Biden to stand unflinching behind Ukraine -- Putin would understand. Oh, how clearly he would understand. How clearly everyone surrounding Putin would understand -- if his weakness could no longer be hidden. In the language of force -- and fear -- it would be Biden telling Putin, "See? See how easy it is? Not one shot from the U.S. or NATO required. With us only standing behind them our great Ukrainian friends have done it alone."
President Biden must choose quickly. He can choose the role of Chamberlain by ceaselessly shouting the equivalent to "peace in our times" -- that helping Ukraine too much means World War III. In which event the likelihood of that which most terrifies us all will grow ever greater due to an ever emboldened and enabled Putin. Or he can choose to stand straight and unflinching as Kennedy and Reagan once did. He can choose to stare down Putin's unprecedented weakness. In which event not only will the likelihood of World War III once again be reduced to negligibility -- it will almost certainly lead to regime change in Russia. Since totalitarian tyrants can maintain power only via overwhelming force -- and fear. There are no weak totalitarian tyrants. Certainly not for longer than it takes those who no longer fear to find them.