Asking now what might have been, 56-year-old lame-duck President Barack Obama met with 64-year-old Russian President Vladimir Putin for the last time at the Pacific Economic Summit in Lima, Peru. Obama allowed U.S.-Russian relations to deteriorate to Cold War lows, after generations of U.S. presidents did their utmost to improve relations. Obama found himself, due to inexperience and bad advice, on the wrong side of history, forgetting during his two terms in office the importance of linkage, especially with world leaders like Putin. Obama pitted himself and the U.S. government against Russia over the six-year-old Saudi proxy war where the White House backed terrorists seeking to topple Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Obama couldn’t deal with Putn’s complexities, especially where it involved annexing Crimea March 1, 2014 and ongoing war in Syria.
Obama chose to antagonize Putin, voting in punitive U.N. sanctions for his invasion of Crimea and support of pro-Russian rebels in the Donbass region of Southeastern Ukraine. Obama made no attempt to understand why Putin took back Crimea after a CIA-backed pro-Western coup Feb. 22, 2014 toppled the Kremlin-backed government to Viktor Yanukovich. Obama forgets that Putin didn’t condemn the U.S. too harsly for invading Iraq March 20, 2003, toppling Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein April 10, 2003 and unleashing the worst terrorist nightmare ever witnessed in the Middle East. Obama has no misgivings about backing the six-year-old Saudi proxy war seeking to topple al-Assad. Barack takes no responsibility funding-and-arming the proxy war that caused over 300,000 deaths, displacing 12 million more to neighboring countries, Europe and the U.K.
Obama’s been highly critical of Putin for his Aug. 30, 2015 bombing campaign to help keep al-Assad in power. Once Putin hit Saudi-U.S.-backed terrorists with air strikes, Obama let U.S.-Russian relations to unravel. U.S. national security requires strong ties with Russia who can help contain global threats in North Korea and other terrorist hot-spots around the globe. Fixated on Putin’s role in Crimea and Southeastern Ukraine, Obama let U.S.-Russian relations fall by the wayside. President-Elect Donald Trump wants to reset U.S.-Russian relations, working with Putin to defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria [ISIS] and abandoning U.S. support for terrorists in Aleppo Vanquished Democratic nominee former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton called Trump a “Putin puppet” in the last Oct. 19 debate. Hillary’s foreign policy vilifies the Russian president.
Obama’s been warning Trump about resetting U.S.-Russian relations, especially because of White House allegation that Russian agents hacked Democratic National Committee emails, embarrassing officials before the election. While there’s no proof the Russian government was behind the hacks, Obama and Hillary continue to blame Russia for meddling in U.S. elections. Congratulating Trump after his stunning victory Nov. 8, Putin said he wanted a “partner-like dialogue,” something Trump intends to do. In resetting U.S.-Russian relations, Trump needs to ignore the GOP war hawks, like Armed Service Chairman Sen. John McCain (R-Az.) and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who make a habit of Cold War Kremlin bashing. True to form, Obama did little to reassure allies in Lima that Trump’s new foreign policy team is ready to take the baton from the Obama State Department.
After ripping Trump at 17 campaign rallies for Hillary and numerous media appearances, Obama did almost as much demonizing the president-elect as Hillary. “I think it will be important for everybody around the world to not make immediate judgment, but give this new president-elect a chance to put their team together, to examine the issues, to determine what their polices will be,” said Obama in Lima. Obama has no intent to admit his foreign policy failures before leaving office Jan. 20, 2017. When it comes to his insane policy of backing Saudi-funded terror groups in Syria, Obama risked a military confrontation with Russia over nothing. Saudi Arabia has the dog in the fight in Syria, seeking topple al-Assad and set up a Wahhabi regime in Damascus. How Obama could punt the Saudi proxy war in Syria over U.S.-Russian relations is anyone’s guess.
Obama’s relationship with Putin is one of missed opportunities. With a stronger relationship, the U.S. could have applied more leverage against Iran and North Korea, once referred to by former President George W. Bush as two sides of the Axis of Evil. Obama never got the concept of linkage in U.S. foreign policy: The importance of maintain close ties with Russia to offset hotspots around the globe. “As I’ve said, how you campaign isn’t always the same as how you govern,” said Barack, referring to Trump but not admitting demonizing Trump hasn’t helped the nationwide protests after the election. Neither Barack nor Hillary have stepped up and told supporters they need to back the president-elect, whether they voted for him or not. Letting U.S.-Russian relations deteriorate to Cold War lows, Obama damaged U.S. national security at home and abroad.
