Outmaneuvered

I've always thought there would come a day on this blog where I would regret - not something that I had written - but something that I had not written. I think that day may finally be at hand.

For the last several years, dating back into the presidency of George W. Bush, I've been collecting links to online material that taken in whole, chronicles the subtle and not-so-subtle maneuvers executed by Vladimir Putin both on the Russian domestic stage and the geopolitical stage. It's a fascinating look, really, but one I never felt fully comfortable writing, because of my lack of depth on foreign policy and strategy.

I've kept the powder dry with regard to politics lately. I've stayed away from Obamacare (starts in 3 weeks, you know). Benghazi still bothers me. Our various domestic scandals bother me. Now we have Syria. After Libya and Egypt, I can see nothing good coming from the U.S. getting involved in the Syrian civil war. I see so much of the current crisis as one of our own making. I find it hard to disagree with both the headline and content of this blog post in the Weekly Standard.

I cannot help but to think that we have made a cataclysmic error in our Middle East policy. But neither am I resigned to believe that Russia has fully ascended to role of patron benefactor to that region of the world. It may be true that America's role has been weakened, but that does not mean America has become weak. But it will take time, sound strategy, and better leadership to recover.

During the 2012 presidential campaign, Mitt Romney said that Russia remained the United States' #1 geopolitical foe. The media laughed at him. But he was right. The stage is set for an increasingly adversarial relationship between these two nations and their interests. What this portends for the future remains to be seen.

The maneuvering continues. Our leaders best have their wits about them.