December 15, 2021

Ukraine — Biden’s Dangerous Record of Appeasement

Whether Putin is saber-rattling or going to invade, either way he’s in a winning position.

“Things we did not do in 2014 we are prepared to do now.” —National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan

That’s great, but it’s also why we are facing the situation we are now — with Russian troops postured to invade Ukraine and Vladimir Putin holding all the cards. The corollary to President Ronald Reagan’s “peace through strength” dictum is that weakness invites mischief and aggression. That dictum is time-tested. “To be prepared for war,” George Washington declared in 1790, “is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace.”

Nearly a decade of equivocation can’t be undone overnight. Joe Biden was a key player in Barack Obama’s non-response in 2014 and hasn’t shown anything since to indicate he’s ready to break (or capable of breaking) from his record of, in the words of former CIA Director and SecDef Robert Gates, being “wrong on nearly every major foreign policy and national security issue over the past four decades.”

In contrast to Biden, Putin’s threats carry real weight because he’s shown a willingness to act in the past. Biden makes concessions (lifting Donald Trump-imposed Nord Stream 2 sanctions), and his family is party to corruption that undermines rule of law and Western interests in Ukraine; Putin sends in the troops and annexes territory in Ukraine and Georgia. The latest troop movements and talk of unifying Russia and Ukraine could just be posturing on Putin’s part, but either way he’s in a winning position.

If he green-lights the invasion, the Russians face no real threat that their territorial objectives will be denied or that NATO will respond militarily. If he chooses not to invade, his messaging machine will portray him as a benevolent peacemaker who showed great restraint in the face of Western aggression. Either outcome will play well with his domestic audience, which is the only one he really cares about placating.

I’ve spent a fair amount of time on the job in Ukraine over the last couple of years, and I concur with Mark Alexander’s recent analysis. The Ukrainians I work with are resigned yet determined. They want to be more closely aligned with the West, but they aren’t banking on meaningful personnel or material contributions if Russia invades. They know it will be virtually impossible to stop a Russian onslaught, but they vow that the Russians will pay a heavy price. In short, they show far more resolve and character than the man they’re counting on to keep Putin in check.

Who We Are

The Patriot Post is a highly acclaimed weekday digest of news analysis, policy and opinion written from the heartland — as opposed to the MSM’s ubiquitous Beltway echo chambers — for grassroots leaders nationwide. More

What We Offer

On the Web

We provide solid conservative perspective on the most important issues, including analysis, opinion columns, headline summaries, memes, cartoons and much more.

Via Email

Choose our full-length Digest or our quick-reading Snapshot for a summary of important news. We also offer Cartoons & Memes on Monday and Alexander’s column on Wednesday.

Our Mission

The Patriot Post is steadfast in our mission to extend the endowment of Liberty to the next generation by advocating for individual rights and responsibilities, supporting the restoration of constitutional limits on government and the judiciary, and promoting free enterprise, national defense and traditional American values. We are a rock-solid conservative touchstone for the expanding ranks of grassroots Americans Patriots from all walks of life. Our mission and operation budgets are not financed by any political or special interest groups, and to protect our editorial integrity, we accept no advertising. We are sustained solely by you. Please support The Patriot Fund today!


The Patriot Post and Patriot Foundation Trust, in keeping with our Military Mission of Service to our uniformed service members and veterans, are proud to support and promote the National Medal of Honor Heritage Center, the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, both the Honoring the Sacrifice and Warrior Freedom Service Dogs aiding wounded veterans, the National Veterans Entrepreneurship Program, the Folds of Honor outreach, and Officer Christian Fellowship, the Air University Foundation, and Naval War College Foundation, and the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation. "Greater love has no one than this, to lay down one's life for his friends." (John 15:13)

★ PUBLIUS ★

“Our cause is noble; it is the cause of mankind!” —George Washington

Please join us in prayer for our nation — that righteous leaders would rise and prevail and we would be united as Americans. Pray also for the protection of our Military Patriots, Veterans, First Responders, and their families. Please lift up your Patriot team and our mission to support and defend our Republic's Founding Principle of Liberty, that the fires of freedom would be ignited in the hearts and minds of our countrymen.

The Patriot Post is protected speech, as enumerated in the First Amendment and enforced by the Second Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America, in accordance with the endowed and unalienable Rights of All Mankind.

Copyright © 2024 The Patriot Post. All Rights Reserved.

The Patriot Post does not support Internet Explorer. We recommend installing the latest version of Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, or Google Chrome.