Mike, I know I’m a bit late to the party but finally finishing up Cold War, Hot
Peace, and wanted to thank you for the thought-provoking first hand account. It was also a unique integration of your academic work and policy experience. Thank you for your service to our country.
You have outlined an ambitious “want-to-do”! Do you have a message to younger people here and abroad that you would like them to consider or think about regarding their future roles as citizens of the world?
Perhaps using your own pathway from Butte to DC to Moscow and back.
True but people new to M's World may not have access to his books. M is the energizer bunny of professors on multiple platforms. M's World sounds like something new and special and perhaps an opportuinty to reintroduce himself.
Whatever subject on which you choose to write and in whatever font you choose, your readers will all be smarter and more well informed after reading it !
I'd request that you start a Mastodon account - at least to post a link any new articles you have here. I promise you that Mastodon doesn't care if you post to another social media site. ;)
Good for you for taking this plunge and commiting to post analytic pieces once a week. I look forward to reading (and sometimes commenting on) McFaul's World content.
Sir, why not agree to Elon Musk's peace plan (re-doing referendums in annexed regions under UN Supervision). This way the war will end and we all can have peace.
RE: 2022 Was the Year of Victory for Ukraine and Defeat for Russia
Former US Ambassador to Russia, Michael McFaul has stated quite the whopper. He claimed that Vladimir Putin:
"stated several goals. Most ambitiously, he aimed to rid the world of Ukraine entirely."
An apocalyptic motive supposedly stated in Vladimir Putin's Essay and his pre February 24 speech which Michael McFaul references. That is not what an unbiased reader of Vladimir Putin's statements would conclude.
Dear Michael McFaul, please state clearly how you came to that conclusion.
I read Vladimir Putin's entire essay and the transcript of his speech and the closest statements I could find was when Vladimir Putin, in his essay stated the following two paragraphs regarding Ukraine:
"You want to establish a state of your own: you are welcome! But what are the terms? I will recall the assessment given by one of the most prominent political figures of new Russia, first mayor of Saint Petersburg Anatoly Sobchak. As a legal expert who believed that every decision must be legitimate, in 1992, he shared the following opinion: the republics that were founders of the Union, having denounced the 1922 Union Treaty, must return to the boundaries they had had before joining the Soviet Union. All other territorial acquisitions are subject to discussion, negotiations, given that the ground has been revoked.
In other words, when you leave, take what you brought with you. This logic is hard to refute. I will just say that the Bolsheviks had embarked on reshaping boundaries even before the Soviet Union, manipulating with territories to their liking, in disregard of people's views."
This was the most "blunt" statement about the fate of Ukraine. If this is what you were referring to then your claim that Putin "aimed to rid the world of Ukraine entirely" is not supported.
Vladimir Putin clearly claims that the territory added to Ukraine by the Bolsheviks in 1922, the East and South of Ukraine, and the Crimea, added in 1954, should be returned to Russia because that's not what Ukraine "brought to the table".
What did Ukraine, bring to the table before the Soviet Union? The following graphic is important in understanding this:
Ukraine "brought to the table" the Central and the North West parts of Ukraine in 1922. During World War II, they also "brought" the Western part of Ukraine at the expense of Poland and 100,000 Poles and Jews who were exterminated by Ukrainian Nazi collaborators and nationalists in Volhynia and Eastern Galacia.
Even so, Vladimir Putin says that there is room for discussion and negotiation.
If you look at the territory Russia is trying to occupy and has already acquired, Russia seems intent on reacquiring the land given to Ukraine in 1922 and the Crimea in 1954.
Yes. Theoretically up to 40% of Ukraine which was never part of pre Soviet Union Ukraine, or what could be called Ukraine, and which have millions of Russians could be returned to Russia who were stranded in "Ukraine" when the Soviet Union broke up.
Therefore, Vladimir Putin was not saying that he would "rid the world of Ukraine entirely". Ukrainians would have Ukraine and Russians would be in Russia. At least that is what these two paragraphs indicate if an unbiased person read them.
This is a reasonable aim as Ukraine has passed a law that would only recognize minorities that had no state outside Ukraine. This means that Russian Ukranians would not be considered a protected minority and could have their language and culture erased. Vladimir Putin stated that. If Russians have no place in Ukraine then Russians along with their land will return to Russia. Completely reasonable to an unbiased person.
Additionally, the recent revelations that Petro Porochenko, Angela Merkel and François Hollande used the Minsk agreements to buy time to arm Ukraine rather than try to find a peaceful resolution that gave the Donbas a degree of autonomy.
Again Former US Ambassador to Russia, Michael McFaul, please explain where Putin's blunt statement that he would "rid the world of Ukraine entirely" is stated in those two references.
Excellent, thanks. This blog looks quite promising, happy to have found it.
I'm hoping to discover authors who can take us beyond the day to day details of great power competitions to a focus on the bottom line. Sooner or later one of these competitions is going to spin out of control, and then it's not going to matter who won "the great game" because everybody on all sides will be the losers.
Another bottom line of interest here is that the knowledge explosion is going to hand despots like Putin ever more, ever larger powers, at an ever accelerating rate. The marriage between an ever accelerating knowledge explosion and violent men is not sustainable. What to do?
Should you wish for your blog to become extremely unpopular :-) perhaps you'd like to reflect on the bottom line that almost all the violence in the world is committed by the male gender. Do you and your readers have the courage to at least contemplate a world at peace without that gender, and thus without all that violence? What is so important about the male gender that it justifies the never ending unspeakable suffering of many millions of innocents? So, maybe you can save this one for when you're fed up with blogging and want to go out with bang. :-)
Good luck, looking forward to whatever you have to say.
Looking forward reading your work here, and to learning more about the topics you write about and this platform. I already follow much of your work so will enjoy your longer pieces here.
Just got a message asking me to use a bigger font. Will do!!! Im new here, so appreciate all feedback.
Im here.
Mike, I know I’m a bit late to the party but finally finishing up Cold War, Hot
Peace, and wanted to thank you for the thought-provoking first hand account. It was also a unique integration of your academic work and policy experience. Thank you for your service to our country.
You have outlined an ambitious “want-to-do”! Do you have a message to younger people here and abroad that you would like them to consider or think about regarding their future roles as citizens of the world?
Perhaps using your own pathway from Butte to DC to Moscow and back.
I always find an individual’s path to where he/she is now quite interesting and informative
All found in his recent book.
True but people new to M's World may not have access to his books. M is the energizer bunny of professors on multiple platforms. M's World sounds like something new and special and perhaps an opportuinty to reintroduce himself.
Whatever subject on which you choose to write and in whatever font you choose, your readers will all be smarter and more well informed after reading it !
I follow you on tv. Am looking forward to reading your thoughts here.
Good luck!
Looking forward to reading your substack. Glad you have decided to take the plunge.
I'd request that you start a Mastodon account - at least to post a link any new articles you have here. I promise you that Mastodon doesn't care if you post to another social media site. ;)
Good for you for taking this plunge and commiting to post analytic pieces once a week. I look forward to reading (and sometimes commenting on) McFaul's World content.
Looks promising. Unfortunately, being in Moscow, I do not have the opportunity to upgrade. I will use what I have.
Sir, why not agree to Elon Musk's peace plan (re-doing referendums in annexed regions under UN Supervision). This way the war will end and we all can have peace.
RE: 2022 Was the Year of Victory for Ukraine and Defeat for Russia
Former US Ambassador to Russia, Michael McFaul has stated quite the whopper. He claimed that Vladimir Putin:
"stated several goals. Most ambitiously, he aimed to rid the world of Ukraine entirely."
An apocalyptic motive supposedly stated in Vladimir Putin's Essay and his pre February 24 speech which Michael McFaul references. That is not what an unbiased reader of Vladimir Putin's statements would conclude.
Dear Michael McFaul, please state clearly how you came to that conclusion.
I read Vladimir Putin's entire essay and the transcript of his speech and the closest statements I could find was when Vladimir Putin, in his essay stated the following two paragraphs regarding Ukraine:
"You want to establish a state of your own: you are welcome! But what are the terms? I will recall the assessment given by one of the most prominent political figures of new Russia, first mayor of Saint Petersburg Anatoly Sobchak. As a legal expert who believed that every decision must be legitimate, in 1992, he shared the following opinion: the republics that were founders of the Union, having denounced the 1922 Union Treaty, must return to the boundaries they had had before joining the Soviet Union. All other territorial acquisitions are subject to discussion, negotiations, given that the ground has been revoked.
In other words, when you leave, take what you brought with you. This logic is hard to refute. I will just say that the Bolsheviks had embarked on reshaping boundaries even before the Soviet Union, manipulating with territories to their liking, in disregard of people's views."
This was the most "blunt" statement about the fate of Ukraine. If this is what you were referring to then your claim that Putin "aimed to rid the world of Ukraine entirely" is not supported.
Vladimir Putin clearly claims that the territory added to Ukraine by the Bolsheviks in 1922, the East and South of Ukraine, and the Crimea, added in 1954, should be returned to Russia because that's not what Ukraine "brought to the table".
What did Ukraine, bring to the table before the Soviet Union? The following graphic is important in understanding this:
https://twitter.com/Cali55Electors/status/1611540120963883010?t=5XMmRpAp0_1_jiWQVJd7Ew&s=19
Ukraine "brought to the table" the Central and the North West parts of Ukraine in 1922. During World War II, they also "brought" the Western part of Ukraine at the expense of Poland and 100,000 Poles and Jews who were exterminated by Ukrainian Nazi collaborators and nationalists in Volhynia and Eastern Galacia.
Even so, Vladimir Putin says that there is room for discussion and negotiation.
If you look at the territory Russia is trying to occupy and has already acquired, Russia seems intent on reacquiring the land given to Ukraine in 1922 and the Crimea in 1954.
Yes. Theoretically up to 40% of Ukraine which was never part of pre Soviet Union Ukraine, or what could be called Ukraine, and which have millions of Russians could be returned to Russia who were stranded in "Ukraine" when the Soviet Union broke up.
Therefore, Vladimir Putin was not saying that he would "rid the world of Ukraine entirely". Ukrainians would have Ukraine and Russians would be in Russia. At least that is what these two paragraphs indicate if an unbiased person read them.
This is a reasonable aim as Ukraine has passed a law that would only recognize minorities that had no state outside Ukraine. This means that Russian Ukranians would not be considered a protected minority and could have their language and culture erased. Vladimir Putin stated that. If Russians have no place in Ukraine then Russians along with their land will return to Russia. Completely reasonable to an unbiased person.
Additionally, the recent revelations that Petro Porochenko, Angela Merkel and François Hollande used the Minsk agreements to buy time to arm Ukraine rather than try to find a peaceful resolution that gave the Donbas a degree of autonomy.
Again Former US Ambassador to Russia, Michael McFaul, please explain where Putin's blunt statement that he would "rid the world of Ukraine entirely" is stated in those two references.
Thank you.
Excellent, thanks. This blog looks quite promising, happy to have found it.
I'm hoping to discover authors who can take us beyond the day to day details of great power competitions to a focus on the bottom line. Sooner or later one of these competitions is going to spin out of control, and then it's not going to matter who won "the great game" because everybody on all sides will be the losers.
Another bottom line of interest here is that the knowledge explosion is going to hand despots like Putin ever more, ever larger powers, at an ever accelerating rate. The marriage between an ever accelerating knowledge explosion and violent men is not sustainable. What to do?
Should you wish for your blog to become extremely unpopular :-) perhaps you'd like to reflect on the bottom line that almost all the violence in the world is committed by the male gender. Do you and your readers have the courage to at least contemplate a world at peace without that gender, and thus without all that violence? What is so important about the male gender that it justifies the never ending unspeakable suffering of many millions of innocents? So, maybe you can save this one for when you're fed up with blogging and want to go out with bang. :-)
Good luck, looking forward to whatever you have to say.
Looking forward reading your work here, and to learning more about the topics you write about and this platform. I already follow much of your work so will enjoy your longer pieces here.
Welcome ! I have been one of your impatient reader on Twitter and as I closed my account there, was looking forward to see you here!
Always insightful, interesting and valuable
Commentary. Thank You