"In late March 1944, as Stalin’s forces push into Ukraine, young Emil and Adeline Martel must make a terrible decision: " THREAD 1/
"Do they wait for the Soviet bear’s intrusion and risk being sent to Siberia? Or do they reluctantly follow the wolves—murderous Nazi officers who have pledged to protect “pure-blood” Germans?" 2/
"The Martels are one of many families of German heritage whose ancestors have farmed in Ukraine for more than a century." 3/
"But after already living under Stalin’s horrifying regime, Emil and Adeline decide they must run in retreat from their land with the wolves they despise to escape the Soviets and go in search of freedom." 4/
"Caught between two warring forces and overcoming horrific trials to pursue their hope of immigrating to the West, the Martels’ story is a brutal, complex, and ultimately triumphant tale .. 5/
"that illuminates the extraordinary power of love, faith, and one family’s incredible will to survive and see their dreams realized." 6/
"The Biden administration must also counter Russian aggression against non-NATO partners. And no theater in the fight to contain Putin is more important than Ukraine." THREAD 1/
"Building a secure, prosperous, and democratic Ukraine, even if parts of the country remain under Russian occupation, is the best way to counter Moscow’s ideological and military aggression in Europe." 2/
"A successful, democratic Ukraine will inspire new democratic possibilities inside Russia and other former Soviet republics—just as a failed Ukrainian democracy and economy will serve Putin’s narrative about the futility of revolutions allegedly sponsored by the United States."3
Why has Putin and his autocratic regime become so much more repressive at home in recent weeks? Why is Putin becoming so increasingly paranoid? THREAD 1/
And Putin is not de-escalating or seeking to stabilize relations with the West, but debilitating the work of the US embassy in Russia and adding more EU officials to the Russian sanctions list? Why? Why now? 2/
Is this really the best moment for a Biden-Putin summit? The mere event of a meeting is a win for Putin, but what does Biden or the American people get out of it? If the promise of a future summit was supposed to modify Putin's bad behavior, that strategy is not working. 3/
In 2011, US-Russia relations were cooperative. Obama and Biden had signed the New START Treaty, imposed new sanctions on Iran, vastly expanded NDN, worked together to get Russia into the WTO, expanded trade & investment, negotiated a new visa regime... THREAD 1/
Most amazingly, Medvedev abstained on UNSCR 1970 & 1973 authorizing the use of force in Libya. At the time, solid majorities in both countries had a positive view of the country. 2/
In 2012, U.S.-Russia relations became quickly uncooperative, punctuated by the closing of USAID in Russia, Snowden asylum, annexation of Crimea in 2014, Russian intervention in Syria, interference in U.S. 2016 presidential election, etc. 3/
"Building a secure, prosperous, and democratic Ukraine, even if parts of the country remain under Russian occupation, is the best way to counter Moscow’s ideological and military aggression in Europe." THREAD 1/
A successful, democratic Ukraine will inspire new democratic possibilities inside Russia and other former Soviet republics—just as a failed Ukrainian democracy and economy will serve Putin’s narrative about the futility of revolutions allegedly sponsored by the United States. 2/
The Biden administration should therefore increase U.S. military, political, and economic support for Ukraine to help its stalled reform efforts succeed. 3/
Looking forward to discussing my ideas for reform for U.S. (1) diplomacy, (2) democracy promotion, and (2) USG media, information & public diplomacy efforts on Mar. 25th . Sign up here. americanpurpose.com/events/mar-25-… THREAD 1/
"The Cold War analogy distorts, more than illuminates, dynamics in US-China relations today." THREAD 1/
Advocates for a new Cold War w/ China underplay the costs and mistakes of the actual Cold War—a tragic era that resulted in millions of deaths, including tens of thousands of Americans, support for autocracies in both the East & West, and billions of dollars spent inefficiently.
This new hegemonic paradigm also forgets (whether consciously or unconsciously) that containment was not a single, consistent US strategy but stretched to mean everything from détente with Kremlin communists to rolling back communism around the developing world. 3/