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Michael McFaul Profile picture
@McFaul
Jul 23 • 14 tweets • 3 min read • Read on X
Obviously, as it often is, President Biden, not VP Harris, took the lead on foreign policy, including in Europe. But we have some clues about what President Harris might do in Europe, and they are all excellent clues, in my view. THREAD 1/
.@VP attended the peace summit on Ukraine organized by @ZelenskyyUa in Switzerland this summer. Her presence was praised by many attendees. She spoke forcefully in support of Uraine's independence and democracy. 2/ Image
When meeting with @ZelenskyyUa in Switzerland at this conference, she said this:

"President Biden and my support for the people of Ukraine is unwavering.  We support Ukraine not out of charity but because the people of Ukraine and their future is in our strategic interests." 3/
"It is in our interest to uphold international rules and norms, such as sovereignty and territorial integrity and the international system we helped create following World War Two, which bolsters America’s security and prosperity." 4/
"It is in the interest of the United States to defend democratic values and stand up to dictators.  It is in our interest to stand with our friends, such as Ukraine." 5/. I could not agree more.
On Russia, Harris has repeatedly spoken out clearly against Putin's invasion of Ukraine and evil brutality at home. She immediately held Putin responsible for the death of @navalny . 6/ Good.wgbh.org/news/2024-02-1…
Harris wrote the tribute to @yulia_navalnaya when Yulia was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world. 7/time.com/6965234/yulia-…
Here is the money quote: "Navalnaya has emerged not only as a symbol of democratic values, but as a courageous fighter for them. The United States stands with her—and all those fighting for freedom and democracy." 8/ Agreed.
Harris also has frequently attended the @MunSecConf , where she has delivered powerful, important speeches. Read them. 9/
Her national security advisor is @PhilGordon46 , a well-known expert on Europe. When I worked at the National Security Council and in Moscow, Phil was the Assistant Secretary for Europe and Eurasia at @StateDept. 10/
Phil was absolutely first-rate, both as a policymaker and a colleague.

(Here we are together with @HillaryClinton in St. Petersburg in 2012, remembering the victims of WWII). 11/ Image
He later moved over to the NSC to work on the Middle East. He wrote this book after that experience: Losing the Long Game: The False Promise of Regime Change in the Middle East. 12/amazon.com/Losing-Long-Ga…
On Belarus, working for the @vp, Gordon has continued to show his support for democracy activists, including meeting with @Tsihanouskaya recently. 13/ Image
More to come later. But in President Harris, Europe will have a strong and loyal ally, who also believes deeply in defending human rights and democracy. END 14/

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More from @McFaul

Michael McFaul Profile picture
Jul 7
"British Prime Minister Winston Churchill once said, “There is only one thing worse than fighting with allies, and that is fighting without them.” Americans learned that lesson in 2001, when U.S. forces fought alongside their NATO allies in Afghanistan, the only instance in the alliance’s history when the Article 5 mutual defense clause was invoked." THREAD 1/
"There is no greater burden than dying for one’s ally, and that is exactly what the United States’ European and Canadian allies did in Afghanistan." 2/
"Today, U.S. security, prosperity, and values continue to be advanced by a strong NATO—an incomparable U.S. foreign-policy asset that should never be taken for granted." 3/
Read 4 tweets
Michael McFaul Profile picture
Mar 5
"Putin made the decision to invade Ukraine. Russian society did not pressure him to do so. But since the invasion was launched, large chunks of Russian society have supported this war, including exhibiting support for or indifference to the atrocities being committed by Russian soldiers against Ukrainian civilians." 1/ THREAD
"Putin personally is not killing Ukrainian grandmothers or kidnapping Ukrainian children, Russians are—and, as we now know from intercepting phone calls, they sometimes do so with the vocal support of their fathers, mothers, and girlfriends back home (or, even more grotesquely, while vacationing in Europe)" 2/

📷
"Similar to other ruthless and imperialist regimes in the past, maybe we can no longer give Russian society a pass for the atrocities Russians are committing in Ukraine? It's not just Putin's war. It's Russia's war." 3/
Read 4 tweets
Michael McFaul Profile picture
Feb 4
Congress should combine in its one bill new aid to Ukraine an the REPO Act. Let me explain. THREAD 1/
Let me add a sweetener. By large majorities, the House and Senate committees recently voted in favor of the REPO Act – Rebuilding Economic Prosperity and Opportunity for Ukrainians Act – that would transfer frozen Russian assets held at American banks to Ukraine for reconstruction. 2/
European countries hold a much greater share of the Russian assets than we do, around $360 billion. But if we take the lead in appropriating these frozen Russian funds, other countries will follow. That’s real money to help fund Ukraine’s reconstruction. 3/
Read 6 tweets
Michael McFaul Profile picture
Jan 23
Advice from a realist:
“Appeasement...is a fanciful and dangerous strategy. It is unlikely to transform a dangerous foe into a kinder gentler opponent much less a peace loving state.  Indeed, appeasement is likely to whet not shrink and aggressors appetite for conquest.” 1/THREAD
“Because great powers are programmed for offense, and appease state is likely to interpret any power concession by another state as a sign of weakness -- as evidence that the appeaser is unwilling to defend the balance of power the appeased state is then likely to continue pushing for more concessions.” 2/
“Furthermore, the appeased state’s capability to gain even more power would be enhanced --probably substantially -- by the additional power it was granted by the appeaser. In short, appeasement is likely to make a dangerous rival more, not less, dangerous.” 3/
Read 4 tweets
Michael McFaul Profile picture
Jan 19
In 2000, I wrote an article for @washingtonpost warning about Putin's anti-democratic ways & people called me alarmist. 1/ THREAD
In 2014, I wrote a piece in @nytimes calling from containment 2.0 for Russia and people called me a hawk. I wrote a longer piece in @ForeignAffairs a few years later outlining a detailed containment strategy for Russia & I was labeled a "warmonger". 2/
In 2021, I used the word "evil" to describe Putin in the @washingtonpost and I was again berated as a crazy ideologue. 3/
Read 5 tweets
Michael McFaul Profile picture
Dec 12, 2023
"How and when we provide this aid matters too. This week, my colleagues from allied countries lamented how indecisive and divided the United States looks, or is, as a country – how are we even not able to push through a bill that enjoys bipartisan support?" 1/ THREAD
"While our allies lament our indecision, division, and polarization, our enemies celebrate them. In Russia, they are laughing at us right now. Putin’s propagandists on state-controlled television praised Republicans for advancing Russian national interests." 2/
" As one of Putin’s most prominent propagandists, Olga Skabeeva, said, “Well done, Republicans! They’re standing firm! That’s good for us.” If Putin’s team is cheering for you, maybe it is time to rethink your actions." 3/
Read 4 tweets

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