If we want our institutions to be our guardrails rather than relying on a constant supply of individual saviors, we should hold our leaders accountable.

Perspective | Alexander Vindman: Milley had another choice — to resign washingtonpost.com/outlook/alexan…
Read this article, then let me know what you think.
The JCS has more than a half-dozen 4-star military officers, each with several decades of service and dedication to defending the constitution against all enemies foreign & domestic. I am befuddled by the notion that only Milley was standing between a madman and Armageddon.
There is a discussion to be had on whether additional guardrails are necessary to prevent a madman from waging nuclear war, but to be clear, there is zero available evidence to indicate a real threat of nuclear war in the closing days of the Trump Admin.
The conferences with China are of no concern. These meetings are well coordinated & habitual (I don’t believe the nonsense reporting Milley would warn of US attack). I participated in a dozen meetings between US & Russian counterparts; all secret & attended by several officials.

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More from @AVindman

1 Aug
The safe option isn’t always the right one. Capitol Police Officers such as Harry Dunn have found themselves in the crosshairs of radical, vindictive fanatics because they gave a truthful account their experiences on Jan. 6. I know a bit about this experience.
By once more proving that Here, Right Matters, Officer Dunn has been subjected to an all too familiar smear campaign that privileges personal aggrandizement and gross negligence above the need for justice and accountability in our democracy.
I have tried my best to offer words of support to anyone facing this dilemma. Your close circle is far more important than any background noise, no matter how heinous. "Focus on the good; don't let the bad get you down, and you'll be fine."usatoday.com/story/news/pol…
Read 6 tweets
8 Jul
Russian “aggression stems, in part, from a systemic level of corruption, which places Putin’s Russia in an increasing state of tension with the Western order. 1/
… This system is a hierarchy, the “vertical of power,” wherein Putin manages patronage networks in government agencies, state-owned enterprises and private businesses. These elements govern together as an oligarchy with the authority and protection of law… 2/
As Russia’s state-sponsored oligarchy seeks to compete economically and politically with the West...it will be important for the Biden administration to establish whether the Kremlin has a strategy to apply corruption as a tool of statecraft… 3/
Read 4 tweets
25 Jun
Earlier this year @ZelenskyyUa stressed that the current sanctions regime against Russia imposed by the US and EU is no longer working. Now, he and his team are leading by example, offering a framework that the US, UK, and EU can follow.
Ukraine’s comprehensive sanctions list on Russian individuals and entities has been renewed and expanded to include oligarchs, financial institutions, the defense sector, airlines, multimedia organizations, etc.
These individuals and entities are located in or operate on behalf of Russia and the occupied territories in the Donbas and Crimea. They have participated, directly or indirectly, in a comprehensive assault on Ukrainian democracy and territorial integrity.
Read 4 tweets
8 Jun
My latest with @DomCruzBus and @Ian_J_Lynch.

Preserving Liberal Democratic Institutions Through Engagement lawfareblog.com/preserving-lib…
“[a] multilateral approach that leverages the strength of the U.S. alliance network will distribute the burden and increase the resources to counter the growing influence of authoritarian states on international institutions.”
The Trump administration’s approach of withdrawing the U.S. from international arrangements... only gave America’s adversaries more freedom to influence the rules of the international system. To counter authoritarianism, the Biden administration will need to reengage...
Read 4 tweets
20 Apr
It is well past time to accept that a reset cannot happen with Putin & his devotees at the helm of Russia. Leaders should limit official engagement... Simultaneously, the U.S. & EU must restore contact with Russian civil society to preserve links for post-Putin Russia.
The Euro-Atlantic alliance must rely on continued pressure to deter Russian malign influence & military aggression. Operating from an uncompromising position of strength signals to Russian domestic audiences that Russia must seek alternatives to its current adversarial paradigm.
Biden’s desire for de-escalation that threatens a bilateral conflict is warranted, but the sense of risk is misplaced. Russia sees as much, if not more, risk in bilateralizing the conflict, but leverages saber-rattling to get the U.S. and European countries to self-deter.
Read 5 tweets
31 Mar
Putin wants to shake up the West and bolster his support. Russia’s buildup along Ukraine serves to distract from internal challenges and intends to consolidate Russian support around an external threat. It’s also a way to challenge the Biden Admin & give Biden a FP black eye.
Russia’s interest & interior lines suggest Putin thinks he can escalate & win this confrontation. The Biden team must send the message there will be major costs for Russian escalation...sanctions & every bit of hardware the Ukrainians need to defend against & defeat an attack.
It’s a history of impunity, a lack of response to aggression & malign influence that brought us to this point. Biden’s efforts to rebaseline the relationship & reestablish deterrence was always going to increase the risk of confrontation. Best to rip the bandaid off now.
Read 4 tweets

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