‘Judging Freedom’ edition of 19 March: Putin and Ceasefire

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‘Judging Freedom’ edition of 19 March:  Putin and Ceasefire

Today’s chat with Judge Napolitano was an ideal opportunity to explore the links between Donald Trump’s green light to Netanyahu over resumption of bombing in Gaza and over his own direction of U.S. planes to bomb the Houthis on the one hand with his ongoing negotiations with Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine and reset relations to a cooperative level, on the other hand.

Yes, what Trump is doing in the Middle East is cynical and he has blood on his hands. However, he could well argue that the deaths he has caused are a very small price to pay for the billions of lives he will save by bringing us back from the risks of WWIII.  I ask the community whether they agree with prioritizing avoidance of our being atomized in a nuclear exchange, which is what Trump is consciously doing.

What did Putin and Trump discuss on the phone? My wager was one big issue was how both will respond to the efforts of the Europeans led by Starmer and Macron to sabotage the peace talks and continue the war.

Chancellor-to-be Merz’s unfortunate remark in the Bundestag a couple of days ago that ‘Germany is Back’ reminds us that what we are witnessing on the Continent is a reconfiguration of the Nazi-led anti-Russian coalition of WWII.  And what we may soon witness is a rebirth of the US-Russian alliance against that coalition.

Translation below into German (Andreas Mylaeus)

„Judging Freedom“-Ausgabe vom 19. März: Putin und der Waffenstillstand

Das heutige Gespräch mit Judge Napolitano war eine ideale Gelegenheit, die Zusammenhänge zwischen Donald Trumps grünem Licht für Netanjahu zur Wiederaufnahme der Bombenangriffe auf Gaza und seiner eigenen Anweisung an US-Flugzeuge, die Huthis zu bombardieren, einerseits und seinen laufenden Verhandlungen mit Wladimir Putin zur Beendigung des Krieges in der Ukraine und zur Wiederherstellung kooperativer Beziehungen andererseits zu untersuchen.

Ja, was Trump im Nahen Osten tut, ist zynisch und er hat Blut an den Händen. Er könnte jedoch durchaus argumentieren, dass die von ihm verursachten Todesfälle ein sehr geringer Preis für die Milliarden von Menschenleben sind, die er retten wird, indem er uns vor den Risiken eines Dritten Weltkriegs bewahrt. Ich frage die Community, ob sie damit einverstanden ist, der Vermeidung einer atomaren Vernichtung Vorrang einzuräumen, was Trump bewusst tut.

Was haben Putin und Trump am Telefon besprochen? Ich wette, dass ein großes Thema war, wie beide auf die Bemühungen der Europäer unter der Führung von Starmer und Macron reagieren werden, die Friedensgespräche zu sabotieren und den Krieg fortzusetzen.

Die unglückliche Bemerkung des künftigen Kanzlers Merz im Bundestag vor ein paar Tagen, dass „Deutschland wieder da ist“, erinnert uns daran, dass wir auf dem Kontinent eine Neukonfiguration der von den Nazis geführten antirussischen Koalition des Zweiten Weltkriegs erleben. Und was wir vielleicht bald erleben werden, ist eine Wiedergeburt der amerikanisch-russischen Allianz gegen diese Koalition.

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Published by gilbertdoctorow

Gilbert Doctorow's latest book, "War Diaries. The Russia-Ukraine War, 2022-2023" is a unique contribution to literature on the war thanks to the author's reports on the Russian home front written during his periodic visits to St Petersburg at a time when Russia no longer issued visas and nearly all Western journalists had left the country. Doctorow's two-volume "Memoirs of a Russianist" published in 2020 also constitutes a category of its own, consisting largely of diary entries rather than reminiscences written decades later.. Volume 2 focuses on the community of 50,000 expatriate managers working and living in Moscow during the 1990s, about which none of his peers has yet to write. Gilbert Doctorow is a professional Russia watcher and actor in Russian affairs going back to 1965. He is a magna cum laude graduate of Harvard College (1967), a past Fulbright scholar, and holder of a Ph.D. with honors in history from Columbia University (1975). After completing his studies, Mr. Doctorow pursued a business career focused on the USSR and Eastern Europe. For twenty-five years he worked for US and European multinationals in marketing and general management with regional responsibility. From 1998-2002, Doctorow served as the Chairman of the Russian Booker Literary Prize in Moscow. During the 2010-2011 academic year, he was a Visiting scholar of the Harriman Institute, Columbia University. Mr. Doctorow is a long-time resident of Brussels.

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5 thoughts on “‘Judging Freedom’ edition of 19 March: Putin and Ceasefire”

  1. You are one of my favorite commentators on geopolitics. It is so elementary that you can’t make enemies of everyone. And as SR galvanizes the US public in support of the Houthis, BN will not be able to turn to Trump’s domestic political opponents, when Trump begins to put conditions on US support. Contrary to SR’s assertion, with all emotional understanding of SR’s position, Trump would be an idiot not to follow this course of action, as sad and cynical as it is. Anyway, thanks for your appearances on Judging Freedom, I never miss an episode when you appear!

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  2. hi professor,

    I appreciate your Russian insights. Its hard to find non biased information

    I can’t believe Europe and USA were so reckless to get involved with Ukraine in the first place.

    If trump can thread the needle with Iran and its nuclear ambition, as well as securing peace with Russia and Ukraine then surely the world is pulling back from the brink of a nuclear war.

    I didn’t know you have a website, so reading your essays are a real treat for me!

    thanks.

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  3. Your insights on Russia are appreciated. To take a different tack, my impression was that on the day Trump was on the phone with Putin, Netanyahu basically said that a US brokered ceasefires…meh. How would Russia interpret negotiating an agreement with Trump, when, as he demonstrated, past and present, that he is cavalier with contracts and treaties? Also, does a foray into West Asia indicate a continuation of promoting US global dominance and not a ‘retreat’ to ‘local spheres of influence’ ? It’s been my observation in my lifetime, that the core thinking in the US revolves around its supposed exceptionalism, indespensibility, and something akin to “full spectrum dominance’. In this is the case, Trump will be encouraged to ‘be strong and not show compromise. A Yalta like Confreence would be great if an offshoot of Trump/Putin discussions, but I will hold my breath. Note: It is my opinion, that the only way to judge Trump, who has many liabilities and strengths, is with some sort of objective algorithm. Sun Tzu advises generals to know themselves and their opponents.

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  4. Dr.D
    Back when RFK.jr was running for president (pro-Israel, anti-Ukraine war) in the Democratic primary, I argued with the Dem knuckleheads that the price for not being vaporized in WW-3 was the slaughter in Gaza, as reprehensible as that bargain may be, it is true. Throughout history, lives have been sacrificed for the ”greater good.” I want my grandchildren to have a future, and I want to Palestinians to have a future. Only the war-mongers in positions of power should be vaporized.

    Also, you are correct that Trump is the most effective president since LBJ, who was a master at getting his way with Congress.

    I think your contribution to Judging Freedom is outstanding. Scott Ritter is not a reliable prophet.

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