The Cold War, now actually forgotten or revised by so many, was the direct result of broken promises made at the negotiating table. Had Stalin condoned even half-hearted efforts at democratic autonomy in Eastern Europe, particularly Poland, who Churchill felt a special duty toward, US history may have been radically different.
Containment strategy, with its inevitable escalation of both blood and treasure, was born from Soviet actions validating the pessimism of George Kennan, who’s telegram from Eastern Europe detailing the folly of believing in Soviet promises gained prescience with every Stalinist doublecross. As the hopes of Yalta gave way to the sober pragmatism of Potsdam, and then the new reality of the Truman Doctrine, Uncle Joe morphed into the enemy he didn’t mind becoming, ready and able to start upsetting the dominoes.
It need never have come to that. Had US negotiators better understood Stalin’s mindset coming into Yalta, and kept in perspective those pocket aces in his hand Red Army occupation of most of Eastern Europe embodied, they may have come to the table more clear-eyed and not have been so taken aback by the result. Fifty years of hostility and the nerve wracking tension of Mutually Asssured Destruction, not to mention the Military Industrial Complex Eisenhower feared, was what we got for our troubles. That said, Europe has enjoyed mostly peace; and that’s a good thing.
All of this is worth mentioning now because we made the ruinous mistake
of electing, perhaps with active Russian intrigue, a nihilist fully unconcerned with the maintenance of the principle military alliance and economic collective forged as a result US-Soviet estrangement.
Whatever one’s worst case scenario of Trump’s meeting this week with NATO leaders, it’s imaginable. After the G-7, anything is possible, nothing too out there to conjure. The only two things in which we can really be sure are the leader of the free world won’t have a clue what he’s talking about, and that won’t stop him from doing it incessantly, in the most boorish fashion possible.
At his Montana rally, our anti-statesman spewed trash like he was itching for a fight, ready to do more than lecture about Europe living up to its obligations. I may just have to tell Angela we can’t protect her anymore, Trump slurred to his wretched core. What could go wrong?
European leaders are losing faith they can outlast our albatross, watching with horror GOP capitulation and acknowledging the awful specter of a possible second term. They are not served in any domestic political climate being seen as Trump lackeys; if he repeats his G-7 outrages, things may get very ugly. Macron learned the hard way the futility of swallowing pride in hopes of encouraging rationality. A unified middle finger on the world stage may become unavoidable.
And then L’Enfant Terrible will be off to meet with Putin, the only true friend he can count on. Hard to imagine what part of the store will be given away as he’s fuming about being dissed by the ingrates we’ve been carrying all these years. So what about Crimea, most of em speak Russian anyway! At least Vlad understands strength and doesn’t mooch off my good graces! Poisoning British citizens? Fake news! I don’t owe Europe a thing, and my Russian friends came through when… er, ah.. forget it! Nothing wrong with peace!
When the Berlin Wall was being beaten up by wild celebrants in 89’ we all assumed the West had won the Cold War; optimists even hoped Russia could become more partner than foe. But just as Stalin did after Yalta, Putin and the oligarchs he champions have dashed such aspirations. And after wandering in the desert for years, they are now poised, like Stalin before them, to outperform the odds their military and economic weaknesses should dictate. And why not be confident in the Kremlin? Unlike the Generalissimo, Putin has a flush draw…a useful idiot with his own propaganda operation. A dolt named Trump. BC