Thursday, June 15, 2017

David Marks — Clapper’s Unhinged Russia-Bashing

Whatever the ultimate truth about the murky Russia-gate affair, it appears that it is Donald Trump’s willingness to consider friendship and cooperation with the Russians that is driving this emotional debate.
For some of the older U.S. intelligence and military officers, there appears to be a residual distrust and fear of Moscow, a hangover from the Cold War now transferred, perhaps almost subliminally, into the New Cold War and a sense that Russia is America’s eternal enemy.
James Clapper, President Obama’s last Director of National Intelligence, is a fascinating example of how this antagonism toward Russia never seems to change, as he revealed in a June 7 speech to the Australian National Press Club.
“The Russians are not our friends; they, (Putin specifically) are avowedly opposed to our democracy and values, and see us as the cause of all their frustrations,” Clapper declared.
In reaching that harsh judgment, Clapper ignored the U.S. government’s own role in the mounting tensions – expanding NATO to Russia’s borders, renouncing the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, and locating new missile bases in Eastern Europe. Instead, Clapper blamed the renewed arms race and resulting tensions on the Russians:
“The Russians are embarked on a very aggressive and disturbing program to modernize their strategic forces — notably their submarine and land-based nuclear forces. They have also made big investments in their counter-space capabilities. They do all this — despite their economic challenges — with only one adversary in mind: the United States. And, just for good measure, they are also in active violation of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty.”
That Clapper would offer such a one-sided account of the reasons behind the worsening antagonisms and the emerging arms race – leaving out the fact that the United States, despite its own budgetary and economic problems, spends about ten times more on its military than Russia does – suggests that he is not an objective witness on anything regarding Russia....
Dangerously delusional.

Consortium News
Clapper’s Unhinged Russia-Bashing
David Marks

3 comments:

Kaivey said...

James Clapper can't really believe what he is saying. He must know it's crap.

mike norman said...

These Cold War dinosaurs need to die off. Quickly.

Tom Hickey said...

James Clapper can't really believe what he is saying. He must know it's crap.

This looks like a classic case of projecting one's own views on others. The US seeking permanent global hegemony through any means so he projects that on Russia and China, too. He is not alone in the US leadership, or among US politicians, pundits, and media.

The amount of psychological projection is huge. Clapper is just an example of it.