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Michael McFaul Profile picture
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21 Nov, 4 tweets, 1 min read
Even at the peak of Reagan's constructive engagement with apartheid South Africa, U.S. officials criticized the regime. (though not nearly enough as I wanted at that time!) THREAD 1/
Reagan's Asst Secy for Africa Chester Crocker said that the US wanted to see "the emergence in South Africa of a society with which the United States can pursue its varied interests in a full and friendly relationship, without constraint, embarrassment or political damage." 2/
"The nature of the South African political system prevents us from having such a relationship now. That goal will remain elusive in the absence of purposeful, evolutionary change toward a nonracial system." 3/
Biden & team should consider similar messaging when speaking about deepening constructive engagement with the Vietnamese Communist Party dictatorship. Otherwise, the US will be accused of hypocrisy when criticizing CCP dictatorship. 4/ END THREAD cc: @trinhhoivoice

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More from @McFaul

Michael McFaul Profile picture
21 Nov
Posting a series of articles that up to a Plan B. (Note a grand strategy cannot be summarized in a "tweet" or a phase expressing a desired objective (that's not a strategy)

How to Contain Putin’s Russia
A Strategy for Countering a Rising Revisionist Power
foreignaffairs.com/articles/ukrai…
washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/…
washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/…
Read 5 tweets
Michael McFaul Profile picture
15 Nov
Biden & team have framed their policy towards China as one of "Competition," (sometimes adding adjectives like "stiff" or "responsible.") That's a good start, but not enough. 2 more Cs need to be added explicitly -- Containment & Cooperation. THREAD 1/
On some issues, the U.S. should seek to compete with China robustly, including first & foremost regarding our different systems of governments. We should want to prove that democracy is a horrible system of government but better than the rest, including PRC autocracy. 2/
And democracy is not only a morally superior system, but also produces better social & economic outcomes. That's why bipartisan infrastructure law & Build Back Better will be the most important policy tools for competing with China initiated in several decades. 3/
Read 20 tweets
Michael McFaul Profile picture
21 Oct
Are we entering a new Cold War with China (and Russia)? Yes and no. Can we learn from the Cold War to develop smart strategies to contain & engage China & Russia? Yes & no. Is it complicated? Yes! THREAD 1/.
" The Cold War analogy distorts, more than illuminates, dynamics in US-China relations today." 2/
Advocates for a new Cold War w/ China also underplay the costs & 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 and West & billions of dollars spent inefficiently
Read 14 tweets
Michael McFaul Profile picture
16 Sep
ICYF from March 2, 1975: "Wide Hostility Found To Vietnamese Influx" nytimes.com/1975/05/02/arc… THREAD 1/
"The arrival in the last few days of the first thousands of South Vietnamese refugees to be resettled in this recession hobbled country has set off a groundswell of controversy." 2/
"Some of those hostile to the newcomers seem to be just weary of the whole long American involvement in things Vietnamese and eager to shut the door on the unhappy past. Others voice fears of epidemics of Asian diseases." 3/
Read 4 tweets
Michael McFaul Profile picture
1 Sep
"President Biden should state explicitly as a matter of policy in his 2021 National Security Strategy that the United States will not use military intervention to promote democratic regime change." THREAD 1/
"The truth is that American presidents have almost never invoked democracy promotion as a justification for war; the U.S. military interventions in Grenada and Panama may be the only exceptions." 2/
"Even before the invasion of Iraq, President Bush and his administration focused primarily on security threats like Saddam Hussein’s alleged weapons of mass destruction." 3/
Read 7 tweets
Michael McFaul Profile picture
22 Aug
This is Item 4 of the Doha agreement: "A permanent and comprehensive ceasefire will be an item on the agenda of the intra-Afghan dialogue and negotiations." THREAD 1/
"The participants of intra-Afghan negotiations will discuss the date & modalities of a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire, including joint implementation
mechanisms, which will be announced along with the completion & agreement over the future
political roadmap of Afghanistan"
Is there any evidence that the Taliban committed to this part of the Doha agreement? If not, then why are we obligated to leave by 8/31? 3/
Read 4 tweets

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