A Back-Channel Plan for Ukraine and Russia, Courtesy of Trump Associates
A week before Michael T. Flynn resigned as national security adviser, a sealed proposal was hand-delivered to his office, outlining a way for President Trump to lift sanctions against Russia.
Mr. Flynn is gone, having been caught lying about his own discussion of sanctions with the Russian ambassador. But the proposal, a peace plan for Ukraine and Russia, remains, along with those pushing it: Michael D. Cohen, the president’s personal lawyer, who delivered the document; Felix H. Sater, a business associate who helped Mr. Trump scout deals in Russia; and a Ukrainian lawmaker trying to rise in a political opposition movement shaped in part by Mr. Trump’s former campaign manager Paul Manafort.
At a time when Mr. Trump’s ties to Russia, and the people connected to him, are under heightened scrutiny — with investigations by American intelligence agencies, the F.B.I. and Congress — some of his associates remain willing and eager to wade into Russia-related efforts behind the scenes.
Mr. Trump has confounded Democrats and Republicans alike with his repeated praise for the Russian president, Vladimir V. Putin, and his desire to forge an American-Russian alliance. While there is nothing illegal about such unofficial efforts, a proposal that seems to tip toward Russian interests may set off alarms. ...
I think we should view a strategy like the one Flynn advocated only as an alternative to the current approach of proxy wars. It may or may not make sense.
My understanding of the US/Russia dynamic is described here:
A hallmark of propaganda campaigns is to create endless noise to obscuring the signal, including with false equivalencies and endless questions ('how do we really know vaccines are safe'?)
> It may or may not make sense.
The same could be said about jumping off a tall building.
I attempted to frame Flynn's perspective as one of the available strategies toward Russia. I am not making a moral judgment about any of the strategies, though I do point out in the linked comment that here is a significant humanitarian cost to proxy wars.
> I am not making a moral judgment about any of the strategies
That's part of my point; it's similar to saying 'I make no moral judgment about the strategy of jumping off a tall building.' It implies it would be reasonable to consider the option.
OK, so then which of the following is true? It's important to separate a (justifiable or not) ad hominem attack from a stance on the strategic options available to the US.
a) Flynn acts completely in his own, corrupt interest
b) Considering a strategy of engaging with Russia, reducing sanctions, etc., is unreasonable.
A Back-Channel Plan for Ukraine and Russia, Courtesy of Trump Associates
A week before Michael T. Flynn resigned as national security adviser, a sealed proposal was hand-delivered to his office, outlining a way for President Trump to lift sanctions against Russia.
Mr. Flynn is gone, having been caught lying about his own discussion of sanctions with the Russian ambassador. But the proposal, a peace plan for Ukraine and Russia, remains, along with those pushing it: Michael D. Cohen, the president’s personal lawyer, who delivered the document; Felix H. Sater, a business associate who helped Mr. Trump scout deals in Russia; and a Ukrainian lawmaker trying to rise in a political opposition movement shaped in part by Mr. Trump’s former campaign manager Paul Manafort.
At a time when Mr. Trump’s ties to Russia, and the people connected to him, are under heightened scrutiny — with investigations by American intelligence agencies, the F.B.I. and Congress — some of his associates remain willing and eager to wade into Russia-related efforts behind the scenes.
Mr. Trump has confounded Democrats and Republicans alike with his repeated praise for the Russian president, Vladimir V. Putin, and his desire to forge an American-Russian alliance. While there is nothing illegal about such unofficial efforts, a proposal that seems to tip toward Russian interests may set off alarms. ...
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/19/us/politics/donald-trump-...