There was no imminent Russian threat at the time. Neither was there any history of at the time. This was not a valid context for admission to NATO, till 2004 atleast.
An unreformed KGB Colonel wouldn’t allow US troops in mother Russia. Neither would someone like that call on the US and show overwhelming support for it’s war on terror. But that’s exactly what Putin did though. Besides that he’s also a Germanophile who had extensive experience in Europe.
And he worked with the US despite the Bush administration’s adoption of the Wolfowitz Doctrine, which was initially designed as a measure against Russia:
Before?
Before Putin became authoritarian he was a crook. Before he was a crook he was an enforcer. Before that he was a fanatical spook.
Its a question that can’t be applied to a dictator like him because there isn’t an acceptable answer.
Its like the question to a fellow dinner-guest, “So glad to finally meet you. Pease tell us, when was it exactly you stopped beating your wife?”.
That would imply western powers having some kind of moral authority over Putin, which they don’t. They can claim the moral high ground the day the Bush administration is tried for war crimes for it’s invasion of Iraq.
Western politicians are just as guilty of similar offences. Do you seriously believe American politicians aren’t lining their own pockets? How much do former US presidents make on their speaking tours? Insider trading by congress? How on earth does a small country like the UAE have such a strong lobby at Washington?
As for my own country, it’s even worse. Our previous president sold the country out for a vanity project in the form of the Hambantota Port. It’s those debt obligations, exacerbated by COVID-19, that have led to the depletion of our FX reserves, leading to nationwide power cuts recently [edit:and more importantly the rationing and steep rise in food prices].
Putin shouldn’t be in charge of Russia anymore. But give credit where it’s due. He inherited a mess from Yelstin and largely cleaned it up. He was open-minded enough to make the first move to work with the West and, in turn, got burned for doing it.
Putin inherited a mess and saw an opportunity for him to take power and line his own pockets. The fact that he’s open about it doesn’t buy him any credit.
What’s even more unforgiveable is his outright opposition to democratic structure and process. In that sense he is a modern day slave-master and as such beyond redemption.
Most times the US has been involved in a war, it has been for defence of an ally against communism or another agency seeking to dominate the world. In both cases, their military policies can be seen as at worst over-energetic pro-active self-defence. they have rarely acted unilaterally and have not in modern times sought to increase their sovereign territory.
They weren’t alone, but they provided the main military force that kept the Soviets out of most of Germany and all of western Europe in 1945 and potentially ever since, and the Chinese out of South Korea. Say what you like about US governments, but none of them was remotely Socialist.
