‘Washington’s Political Class Is Poised to March Into a Hurricane of Its Own Making in Ukraine’

It’s an indisputable fact: Washington leads the world in self-delusion.

Washington’s political class is poised to march into a hurricane of its own making in Ukraine, a perfect storm of foreign- and defense-policy blunders likely to plunge the American people into future crises and conflicts. Having refused to acknowledge Russia’s vital strategic interest in Ukraine, Washington now wants to subject Ukraine and the NATO alliance to a dangerous and unnecessary test by confronting Russian conventional military power. In turn, Washington and its allies now face a test—one that they could have avoided but are now likely to fail. First, the facts.

The Biden administration is spending $768.2 billion for national defense. Russia spends only $42.1 billion, less than the $48 billion spent by the Republic of Korea. Yet Russian ground forces are superior in capability and striking power to the U.S. Army and Marines, even if both countries’ ground forces were able to deploy to Ukraine.

Russia’s conventional-ground-force superiority stems, in part, from the strategic advantage of fighting close to Russia. Its potency is also a reflection of President Vladimir Putin’s insistence on fundamental defense reform and reorganization. The reform process involved years of struggle to expel old generals who resisted change and install new, resolute fighting forces, composed of young, single men with a profound sense of Russian patriotism and toughness. The policy has resulted in an operationally flexible grouping of smaller capability-based Russian fighting formations, designed to ruthlessly exploit the striking power of Russia’s rocket artillery, tactical ballistic missiles, and loitering munitions.

Far to the west and behind the Polish border sits an awkward collection of U.S. Army and NATO Ground Forces that, despite decades of cooperation, are still challenged to fight effectively as one force. In the last 20 years of operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, most of America’s allies seldom had anything to contribute to our efforts, save a flag and inexperienced troops who were forced to operate under political restrictions. Thus, like the U.S. Army that leads them, the allied ground forces cling to the illusion that NATO can fight future conflicts on land the way Anglo-American allies did during World War II—with large, densely packed divisions, corps, and armies. These are lucrative targets for Russian strike formations.

Additionally, institutional policies to impose diversity and inclusion on the U.S. Armed Forces at the expense of demonstrated character, competence, and intelligence, demoralize our troops. As a result, the dedication, cohesion, and pride of achievement required to sustain America’s professional fighting force have been seriously damaged.

The implications are clear: A U.S.-Russian confrontation in Eastern Ukraine could easily resemble the 1940 Anglo-French experience, with the Wehrmacht provoking a serious backlash at home. Supply-chain bottlenecks, consumer-goods inflation, and soaring energy costs could all worsen if events in Ukraine spiral out of control. As more and more Americans wake up to falling standards of living, how will they react to yet another war for suspicious aims that have absolutely nothing to do with their own vital strategic interests, and make their daily lives even harder?

Reality is sitting on Ukraine’s eastern border, not in the South China Sea or in the strait of Taiwan, and there is ostensibly nothing Washington can do about it. The questions that should concern Washington’s political class are: Will NATO survive its ignominious retreat in the face of superior Russian military power? And, why is Washington conducting policy not from strength, but from weakness—a weakness thus far disguised by the outward show of military power against weak opponents without armies, air defenses, or air forces?

Nietzsche said, “War makes the victor stupid.” After 1991, America’s senior military and political leaders found many reasons to spend enormous sums on defense, but no reason to change the way U.S. forces fight, or to devise a national military strategy tied to tangible, concrete interests and the preservation of American national power.

As John Kenneth Galbraith warned, “People of privilege will always risk their complete destruction rather than surrender any material part of their advantage. Intellectual myopia, often called stupidity, is no doubt a reason. But the privileged also feel that their privileges, however egregious they may seem to others, are a solemn, basic, God-given right.”

Washington’s corrupt and morally bankrupt leaders are walking into a minefield. If they embroil U.S. and allied forces in Ukraine, extraordinary discontent at home and abroad awaits them. However, like so many privileged classes before them, the Biden administration may prefer “complete destruction” rather than acknowledge that its most cherished beliefs are utter delusions. It’s safe to say that whatever happens in Ukraine, this chapter will not end well for President Biden or Washington’s political class.

Douglas Macgregor, Col. (ret.) is a former advisor to the Secretary of Defense in the Trump administration, a decorated combat veteran, and the author of five books.

Source: The American Conservative

10 Comments
  1. Tony says

    US is living in the past, now led by over privalaged idiots who grew up during the yrs of US plunder and death strikes around the world.
    While their infrastructure is falling apart and 100″s of thousands of their people are living on the streets the MIC”s budget goes up Yr after Yr, with 100″s of bases around the world to pay for and greedy corporations churning out sub standard equipment, the money is soon gobbled up by the rich.
    How dare Russia object to us forcing EU country’s to purchase our military equipment, new wars and customers are constantly needed to keep the MIC machine rolling on.
    Russia has no option now but to fight back, even if Ukraine never joins Nato its already being infested with “instructor’s” and slowly but surely the military infrastructure is appearing, Britain building new military port structures for example, why would they do this?
    Before its too late, Russia needs to give Nato a lesson , go in and end the cival war once and for all, take control of the Russian speaking areas and all the coastal areas, kick out the foreign advisors. Its the only way now to protect itself from more and more aggressive US (nato) moves.
    Russia wont be fooled again., after the Western organised coup in 2014, Putin barely survived that at the time his generals wanted to go in and take back Ukraine from west but he hesitated, now it’s come back to haunt them, Putin won’t make that mistake again, a wrong needs to be righted and US is daring Russia to do it.
    Threats of sanctions and removal from Swift are just that, threats, Russia is just about self sufficient now and has reliable partners, and people tend to forget Russia is yrs ahead of USA in hypersonic missiles and submarine technologies, the best defencive systems in the world.
    US and Nato have set themselves up for a fall and fall they will.

    1. Rem says

      Some on both sides are leaking that they are 90 days away from lobbying their thermo-nukes at swampington’s toys. I think it could happen, but later.
      First Mom Russia has lots of conventionals at their disposal, like the ‘Father of all bombs’, for example. They also know that western populations are being played into foolish self-sacrifice, & are a much more sane & compassionate leadership. Certainly we know that covid has not driven us back to the dark ages as depicted on the Georgia Guidestones at least not yet.
      As consciousness now goes fractal in this “second coming,” there are to be wars & rumours of wars…

      And yet, a solution is now before us, leading to the ultimate defeat of those zio-pharisees, money-changers & minions who continue to ail our species…

      1. Rem says

        bit.ly/3000yr-oldSecret

  2. jimbogoofball says

    How much longer do we have to wait for Putin to do something? Now Christmas has come and gone and still no action. WHY DOES THIS ARZEHOLE REFUSE TO RESPOND?

    1. Eddy says

      I would have thought his submission to the Americans and NATO demanding an answer, was a very positive responce.

    2. GMC says

      Christmas is in January and Tonite is the biggest holiday of the year – no big rush it looks like. The War can wait another month or two , because Russians are on holiday for about 10 days. Same as the first week and a 1/2 in May. All Quiet on the Western Front – so far.

  3. Rebel Forever says

    Change the last part of the first statement to: Washington leads the world in lying, conniving, deceit, and accepting payoffs from the war profiteers.

  4. nnn says

    Zionist mafia running the show

  5. Jerry Hood says

    Watch out, once the judaised USrael goes down the drains, the zionazi khazars will very fast switch to China! That’s what these parasites do troughout the history! Going from one fat cow to another…

  6. Mr Reynard says

    Still Remember Georgia & Suckershvili eating his Licorice flavoured Tie, while waiting for the “most” powerful Army on this Earth, to come to his aid ??

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