‘Yes, He Would’: Fiona Hill on Putin and Nukes

Maura Reynolds

• Fiona Hill
• American policy adviser

For many people, watching the Russian invasion of Ukraine has felt like a series of “He can’t be doing this” moments. Russia’s Vladimir Putin has launched the largest ground war in Europe since the Second World War. It is, quite literally, mind-boggling.

That’s why I reached out to Fiona Hill, one of America’s most clear-eyed Russia experts, someone who has studied Putin for decades, worked in both Republican and Democratic administrations and has a reputation for truth-telling, earned when she testified during impeachment hearings for her former boss, President Donald Trump.
‘Yes, He Would’: Fiona Hill on Putin and Nukes (yahoo.com)


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Good read on the possible mindset of Putin and his goals.

 

Her viewpoint on Putin and his future possible acts are seriously disturbing. I'm hoping his head is tightly screwed on.

 

If you put anyones back against the wall, anything is possible. Putin is faced with economic destruction, the starvation of his people, ostracized by most of the world, with few Allies of strength.

if surrender is off the table in his mind then he will be left with very little choice but to do something devastating to the world, including himself.

hopefully some form of surrender, even if not in name is still on the table.

And hopefully our incompetent leaders are intelligent enough to figure it out.

 

when you're dealing with a crazy man, you never know, why would people support such a crazy man

do people on the right still want to praise Putin?

 

Putin is evil, but in the past he seems to have mostly been a rational actor. His actions were somewhat predictable and served some kind of self-interest or national interest, no matter how depraved those actions were. But recently, with Ukraine, the tracks have shifted. Ukraine has put up a stronger resistance than he predicted. NATO has been more united than he predicted. His forces have been far less effective than he predicted. But still he persists. The Putin of the past would have probably tried to find some way to save face, maybe only capture a couple of regions, declare them "liberated" and spin away his propaganda on RT. But now it's looking like Kiev will face total war. Russian forces have already targeted civilians, but they will soon be much more open and flagrant about doing so. Putin has distanced himself from his inner circle, even publicly humiliating them. Nukes are, unfortunately, on his table, and we can't even count on MAD as a deterrent. The ideal solution at this point would be if Russia's oligarchs made sure Putin had an "unfortunate accident."

 

Naw, thats just the ignorance of the left.
But we are all used to it by now.
So you can carry on

 

If Putin were to launch a nuclear strike against Ukraine, the place would be useless.
And if he is seeing the coalition of NATO forces destroying his economy so quickly, he knows (or at the very least thinks) a nuclear launch against anyone would mean to total annihilation of Russia with prejudice. It wouldn't be a survivable option. Everyone in Russia knows this including those around Putin.

Is he that crazy? I seriously doubt it. Not impossible but thats quite a stretch. And it isn't like the US is bluffing since we are the only superpower that has used those devices in times of war.

He knows we have submarines sitting in harbors around Russia. He knows it would be him against the world. His navy is so utterly destroyed right now they have to use tug boats to move their aircraft carriers.

Even if he flips out and goes suicidal, I don't think he will survive it as Russia upper hierarchy have no problem with assassination's. I just don't see it.
Russian people have the same needs as the rest of us. As Kennedy said, we all breath the same air and any first strike like that would end all life in Russia for a few thousand years.

 

Hopefully we won't come to that outcome. That said, hopefully someone in Russia does the right thing and deposes Putin.

 

Thanks for posting this. It is a good read. Notably, by a person who was character-assassinated by the right during the first Trump impeachment hearings.

I didn't realize that Putin is already 70. Also, he is up for "re-election" in 2024. So, this could be a play for him to bolster his popular support by being the strong man. Now, if it doesn't play out the way he thought, and things become a lot more damaging to Russia, will he try to bow out saving face, or will he try to go out in a bang? I don't think the latter possibility can be discarded, especially with him acting more and more emotionally charged in his speeches. I wonder if he has some neurological disease that messes with his mental state.

 

I doubt his head is screwed on.
I think at 70 he might think this is his last stand to make his view of Russia real.

 

1st rule for dealing with a crazy man is not to have a dementia patient doing the dealing. America failed out of the gate....

 

If the world unites and causes economic hardship in Russia for the next 2 yrs, he may not get reelected.
Of course, most any and/or all opponents will have a hard time staying alive as happened in the past.

 

Maybe, hopefully, one or more of his oligarchs will treat him the same as he's treated his opponents. A convenient accident on, say, the 15th of this month would be swell.

 

Putin put his own back against the wall. He made this bed, he knew the consequences.

 

They do, or at least they seem reluctant to critize him. It's pathetic.

 

Regardless of your perspective tithe reality is his back is against the wall. Hopefully surrender is still on the table, and our incompetent leadership can find a way to make it happen.

 

I would have signed an agreement with Russia to never allow Ukraine into NATO. This is about the 10th time I have answered the question and the answer has always been the same. Quit asking the question if you aren't interested in the answer.

 

You know the saying, cornered dogs are the most dangerous. I am hoping for the best, but fearing for the worst.

 

Lol, so your solution is to lick authoritarian boot and show as much weakness in the face of despots as possible. Predictable. Thank you for clarifying that you think surrender to the demand of tyrants is the best option.

 

My solution was the solution offered by the person most responsible for winning the Cold War. He wrote about the solution in 1997 in the New York Times. The pity is that your depth of knowledge definitely does not include somebody like George Kennan. Read his article "A Fateful Error" and tell me how he is wrong. He predicted the result of American foreign policy and this is EXACTLY his prediction.

Here are my predictions.
1. You will not read the article.
2. You will not rebut a single point of his arguments
3. You will use the term bootlicking or cur in your response (if you respond at all).

 

What IF The Sanctions Don't Stop Putin from doing whatever he wants in Ukraine?

THEN, What happens?

Putin controls Ukraine, and the Sanctions are crippling Russia, so THEN what?

Putin says:

"If the West doesn't remove the sanctons, then I am going to Nuke Paris"?

What's the end game?

 

I hate to disagree but my information is that they prefer to bend over for China. Which one of us is right?

 

Will you (and any other leftist reading this) please stop spamming this low-intelligence clown-world bullshit? Have you not been made fully aware that 'Putin praise' was literally another 'fine people on both sides' media fabrication? Have you not read or listened to the full interview in order to be made aware of the context and ultimate point? Are you not at all embarrassed or angered that the media outlets which you trust to give you all the 'facts' have intentionally and blatantly mislead you because they know you wont do so little as to read a single paragraph on your own?

 

Putin will not allow anyone to run against him.

 

Yeah that sounds like an act of strength. Give in to what Putin wants.