I called out Musk’s moral idiocy and ignorance of Russia in his calling for a pro-Kremlin "peace" before he bought Twitter last year. Even my thread from yesterday needs an update, as he has now proudly confessed to sabotage on behalf of the Russian military. 1/4
If Musk could sabotage Ukrainian forces in the Black Sea during an attack, how did he know about it? How many other Ukrainian actions have been sabotaged, or their presence shared with Musk’s "Russian officials" friends? Were Ukr personnel cut off, possibly inside Russia? 2/4
The Russian warships Musk personally saved have continued to murder Ukrainian civilians. They have bombarded ports and grain stores full of food, much destined for the world’s poor. Their real blood is on Musk's hands. 3/4
For what? The fallacy that Putin can be negotiated with in good faith? That at the same time he’s a madman who will nuke the world at any setback? For the same "peace" myth exploited by generations of Soviet spies in the West? All naive & propaganda, all refuted over & over. 4/4
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I just met a remarkable man whose caring and courage have produced a must-see film, "Mr Nobody Against Putin". Pavel "Pasha" Talankin documented two years of everyday life in the small town of Karabash, where he worked at a school. Plain, horrific reality of Putin's Russia.
Even for me and my wife, no strangers to the depravations of the USSR and Putin's dictatorship, what Russia has now become down to the brainwashing of children was shocking to see. A history teacher idolizing Beria & Abakumov as former students return from Ukraine in body bags.
"Mr Nobody Against Putin" is definitive proof of why Western leaders still talking about negotiating peace with Putin are fools at best. This isn't my Soviet paranoia or saber-rattling. This is the raw truth of Russia, a country twisted into a nightmare for perpetual war.
No personal experience. As with Trump's authoritarianism, and the antisemitism rising on left and right, Marxism and its stalking horse democratic socialism spreads easily among those too young and/or ignorant of their history. The moral clarity of the Cold War is long gone.
The Soviet Union was evil. We knew it and Americans knew it. Engagement has blurred the lines with profitable moral relativism. We get our iPhones from a Communist dictatorship using slave labor and call it progress. Our energy purchases fund feudal monarchies and Russian wars.
Instead of listening to people who have lived through the fall of democracy, or the delusions of socialism, many want to live through it themselves, like diseases they have no immunity to. Unfortunately, the learning process can be very destructive.
Like any successful mafia boss, Putin's axis of dictatorship is based on loyalty and the use of force. Free world powers sit complacently atop their towers of weapons and wealth, sending concerns and press releases. Russia, Iran, Cuba et al send troops, missiles, and jets.
Of course, that loyalty can come to an abrupt end at any moment, as happened to Assad in Syria a year ago. No honor among terrorists and thugs. Ukraine's valiant resistance has weakened Russia's ability to support its allies and proxies.
Even so, the West quavers and self-deters, which perpetuates the cycle of violence from small threats and conflicts to larger ones. Russia and other authoritarians and terrorists see no reason not to use violence early and often. Deterrence saves lives, appeasement loses them.
No one could watch Bondi‘s performance, and that’s what it was, of stonewalling and trolling and think that she’s part of an administration that believes they will ever leave power or be held accountable.
This isn’t the typical lack of foresight of having procedural changes come back to bite you. This is a group so invested in shattering the institutions of American governance and in personal enrichment that there can be no way back.
Trump and Miller are openly talking about arresting opposing elected officials. They are attacking so-called corrupt judges, a term they use for anyone who disagrees with them in order to debase the word, which of course applies only to their own monumental looting campaign.
In our marches in Russia, we were adamant to avoid any sign of violence. Not one broken window, because we knew it’s what the regime wanted. They lined the streets with riot police, outnumbering us 10 to 1. But in the end, it didn’t matter. They simply criminalized all protest.
New "anti-extremism" laws passed, and peaceful protesting became a criminal charge with prison time, not a civil one with a fine. Judges were intimidated and any that didn’t automatically sentence protesters were soon removed. Opposition leaders were jailed, exiled, or murdered.
When we warned of Putin's rising dictatorship in the 2000s, we were dismissed as fearmongers, even hysterics, in the West. Now a similar process is underway in the US, with Trump following the Putin playbook. My latest in The Atlantic on fighting Putinization: 👇
Talking about 2028 is dangerously naive; the danger is now. Trump is directing the military and justice department to go to "war" on US cities and his enemies, from TV hosts to former FBI directors. Keeping the 2026 midterms fair may be the last stand. theatlantic.com/politics/archi…
Those actively working for Trump's takeover are the clear and present danger, but complacency is also a threat. "He hasn't done x yet, so he won't" is a fallacy. Don't confuse an autocrat's attempts with his successes. "What would he do if not stopped?" is the right question.