“Isolate Russia!” -- Michael McFaul, Ex US Amb to Russia

Michael McFaul is an American diplomat and scholar. In 2009, he joined the Obama administration in the National Security Council working on issues related to Russian and Eurasian affairs and later served as the U.S. Ambassador to Russia from 2012 to 2014. He is the author of several books, most recently the New York Times bestseller "Cold War to Hot Peace." McFaul is currently on faculty at Stanford University and is writing a new book on great power relations in the 21st century.



DEBATE:

At the time Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine, Russia supplied the European Union with some 40% of its natural gas, 25% of its oil, and nearly half of its coal. But as punishment for the war, most of Russia’s energy imports to Europe will be banned by the end of the year, along with sweeping sanctions that target banks, businesses, and oligarchs. Is that smart policy? Those who argue “yes” say Russia must be punished for its actions, democratic governments should be protected, and that accommodations only embolden Moscow. Those who argue “no” say isolating the Kremlin to this extent is a dangerous gamble, which could undermine Europe’s economies, push Russia further toward China, and lay the groundwork for an escalation. In this context, and in partnership with the German Marshall Fund, David Ariosto moderates a debate on this question, "Should we isolate Russia?



#iq2us #opentodebate #debate #Russia #Ukraine #GMF #GermanMarshallFund #Biden #Putin #Brussels #Zelensky #Kiev #lviv #odessagram #kharkiv #odessa #nuclear #economy #blockade #food #sanctions #Moscow #davidariosto

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[mistershopen]

The west is shooting itself in the foot right now because of this extremely dangerous and self defeating strategy. This is why our economy is failing right now and American imperialism is waning. Two words: gas prices. Another two: food shortages. And the ruble is rising because of this strategy.

[jmmbuthia]

Isolating Russia from Europe or Russia from the rest of the world? Isolate the world's biggest exporter of almost anything? Good luck doing that?

[isblackboy]

Isolating Russia is like trying to fit a fully grown elephant into a Cessna.

[elijahhacks]

It sounds like he will be the one isolated!

[nemeking]

i think the debater should be more direct to the argument isolating russia and china from where ?

[huntergameson]

The long term objective is that the US is isolating itself😅

[luckyea]

- Mr. Price, you said that Russia is becoming a pariah, but at the same meeting of the G20 foreign ministers, there was literally a line of people wishing to discuss important issues in front of Sergei Lavrov. This doesn't sound like an outcast at all.

- It's agony. In fact, Russia is aware that it is becoming an outcast of the world community, hence their rushing around the world in search of at least some contacts. They desperately cling to the edges of the ice floe that breaks under their hands, but the cold abyss of Eternity drags them into the darkness of timelessness. Very soon, the wind will howl drearily over the desert expanses of Russia, and hungry wolves will run among the eternal snows. Russia is devouring itself by choosing the path of isolation, following the path of North Korea.

– But, Mr. Price, comparing the results of our president's visit to Saudi Arabia and what the Russians received from the Arabs, we can conclude that it is the United States that is increasingly turning into a pariah. If Putin in the same Saudi Arabia is greeted by an honor guard of riders on elite horses, he is given a whole palace, then our president is met by an incomprehensible official with an interpreter and they are taken to the hotel, like some kind of petty salesman.

- Nonsense! One more push and we'll show the world who's the real boss here! No one will dare to support Russia if we, the United States, are against such alliances! We hold the whole world by the throat, no one dares to compete with us by force, we create the future of this world - does this look like the behavior of an outcast?

But the results? Where are the results of your creativity, Mr. Price? Russia is creating new alliances, which include the largest countries and economies of the world, and we are gradually being squeezed out of all major projects. Our people are running in the footsteps of Lavrov, persuading everyone not to communicate with him, not to be photographed, but no one is listening to us. Doesn't this mean that we are out of touch with reality and are trying to wishful thinking?

- Yes, they communicate, we are not blind and we see it, but we need to look deeper - this is communication with a relative who is forever leaving for the world of shadows, if I may say so in relation to Russia. They are trying to take everything that is most valuable from the monster that is falling into economic collapse in order to forget about it forever. They leave photographs as a keepsake, so that later, sitting with a glass of American whiskey, smoking American cigars, grin, looking at these traces of the disappeared past. Russia is a dinosaur that has never been able to understand democratic values ​​and is destined to die out in our world!

– Mr. Price, the creation of an extended version of BRICS is more like saying goodbye to the United States than to Russia. Too many relatives, more than three and a half billion, at her so-called funeral. We are increasingly pushed aside, spitting on our aircraft carriers and nuclear weapons. Our external and internal debt have become cosmic and murderous, the dollar may cease to be the world's reserve currency at any moment, the United States may one day wake up poor and barefoot, and you are talking about the death of Russia! Wouldn't it turn out that it is Russia that will curiously study the remains of our civilization in the imprints on the caked clay?

“Try not to speak such heresy again, otherwise…”

- Will you burn us at the stake, as in the days of the Inquisition? Let's call a spade a spade - the United States is trying to make Russia a pariah country, destroy its economy, but in practice everything turns out exactly the opposite - the Russian economy is getting stronger every day, it begins to dominate the international agenda, the whole world listens to its decisions and actions, while this world is only laughing at us, looking with apprehension at the nuclear club in the hands of a feeble-minded old man. We frighten the world with our actions, create chaos and destruction, invade the internal affairs of sovereign states, as if in our own closet, calling it concern for world security. It is us that they begin to avoid, they begin to fear us and instinctively reach out to Russia, destroying your myth about its isolation. It is us, the United States, isolating ourselves from the whole world, making great strides in this matter!

- And where did you come from so brave? How dare you say nasty things about the country you grew up in? Who invited you to this meeting? Immediately take away his accreditation and throw him out of the hall! Hey, where did everyone go? I was talking about only one impudent pro-Putin journalist!

“Sorry, we have nothing else to talk about with a person who does not see reality. Soon there will be a plane to Africa, where a big meeting with the participation of Sergey Lavrov is expected. A lot of relatives are gathering, as you put it, we would also like to take part in the commemoration. The only question is, whose wake will it be, Mr. Price?

- Disgrace! These Russians are completely insolent! Wander around the world like at home! We urgently need to do something, while we are still allowed somewhere and at least someone is talking to us! It is strange, where does our journalistic chaps come from such frank impudence? Just yesterday, they pecked out of their hands, looked into their eyes, picked up every word on the fly, sang with one voice about the collapse of Russia, and then an open rebellion! Something's wrong, so I don't lose my job!

[arctic_skies]

I just love when usa is speaking about human rights.

[munguci]

Isolating Russia is like isolating one of the organs: lungs or heart, from the rest of the torso. The argument of isolationism is too Westerncentric to be sound.

[SpiritsBB]

“Slaughtering millions”. Wonder which country he’s confusing with there.

[jonathanprince]

Say again what usa did in Iraq and Libya and many more other countries

[TYSKANLIGNOT]

Isolation is not an option.
You do not offend the oligarchs and people in power and decision makers.
People in Russia do not want war. But nobody asks us.
If you speak openly: I am against the war. You are sent to prison, your children are taken away.
It's easy to say that from the USA, from Europe. I think if you were in the place of an ordinary resident of Russia, you would do exactly the same.
Do you doubt that I'm telling the truth: Maria Moskaleva Мария Москалева

[drewmqn]

Man these comments. Russian troll farms in full force today.

[Jahwonderu]

You are just talking rubbish what about, what American and NATO did in Iraq and etc

[GeopoliticsInConflict]

What the former diplomat is saying is very unreasonable and detached from reality! It tells me that he's, conveniently or ignorantly, either unaware of the shifting global order, or just playing politics as usual to stay relevant...

[anomanderrake]

Hahahaha, little Mcfoul who said that Hitler never used chemical weapons! The guy as ambassador did nothing but worsen the US Russia relationship.

[johnyricco]

Having McFool on turns this into IntelligenceSquareRooted 😄

[richardduplessis]

America's 'sanctions' on Russia have had a massive adverse effect on Europian countries who need Russia's oil and gas, and also on the USA. If America hadn't kept provoking Russia through continued NATO expansion up to Russia's borders, none of this would now be happening. This guy is too busy trying to project that he knows what he's talking about, rather than offering anything constructive

[shashankchauhan]

ya isolating Europe will be equal to isolating Russia, ask your German counterpart🤣🤣🤣🤣😁

[sepxviii]

If the martians are following the events in Earth and hear this guy asking for the isolation of the largest and the most populated countries in the world, which happen to be allies, they must be having the laugh of their lives