Publisher's Note: This post appears here courtesy of the The Daily Wire. The author of this post is Tim Meads.
Good people everywhere want to see Ukraine defend itself against the brutal Russian invasion, but if the real goal of U.S. foreign policy is to oust Vladimir Putin, let's hope the diplomats and spies have thought things through.
You don't have to be a Russian stooge to worry about what could happen in a destabilized Russia, with Kremlin creeps and crooked oligarchs scrambling to fill a power vacuum. Putin might rock horns and a pitchfork, but as the saying goes,
"better the devil you know than the devil you don't."
Instead of assuaging those concerns, we are told one of two things. The first is the denial that taking out Putin is the primary objective. The second is that his removal from power would be a good thing, and there is no need to worry. And the conversation seems to end there.
Consider that President Joe Biden barked in Poland last March,
"For God's sakes, this man cannot remain in power," referring to the Russian president. The White House subsequently walked that statement back. Yet it seems Biden's gaffe is actually a common sentiment in the Beltway by key players.
For example, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) has never waivered from his insistence that Putin must be taken out. In March 2022, the South Carolinian called upon a member of the Russian government to assassinate Putin. In May, he doubled down, adding that there is
"no off-ramp" to ending the war.
In turn, billions of U.S. taxpayer dollars and military aid were sent, and hundreds of thousands of Russian and Ukrainian lives were lost, with no end in sight.
Graham has continued to claim that the war will continue until the Russian president is out of office - one way or another.
Graham appears to be correct. This war could continue for at least the next year, thanks to the new shipment of U.S. tanks.
So that means more bloodshed for everybody, an escalation that could turn into World War III, and a smaller chance for a peaceful resolution anytime soon.
Readers should know that Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda made it clear at the World Economic Forum that Ukraine's military success and leadership turnover in Russia go hand-in-hand.
The Lithuanian president let it slip that he doesn't know what exactly would come next, but at least the war will have ended.
"I have no illusions that it will be a democratic government replacing Vladimir Putin - probably there will be a long transitional period ahead and nobody knows what will be the outcome - but probably it would lead to the resolution of this crisis in Ukraine," he explained.
Nausėda seems to be the most honest one out there.
He's at least admitting that he has no idea what it means to have a Russia without Putin. But even he, like most leaders, has a cavalier attitude about shaking up the Russian government. Individuals heeding more caution are told to shut up and accept that diplomatic measures are a no-go.
Putin is undeniably a tyrant. His crimes in Ukraine are horrific, and most Americans want Ukraine to win the war - whether that's through negotiations or outright winning. The data indicate a growing number of taxpayers want Washington to push Ukraine into peace talks. In December, a poll showed that 47% of Americans wanted Washington to advocate diplomacy and end the war - up from 38% who held that position last July.
At a time when it seems like world leaders should be doing everything possible to wind down the war, we are doing the opposite. Meanwhile, officials are ignoring the potential dangers of an unstable nuclear power with a
"transitional" government. Transitioning to what exactly? It doesn't really matter, we're told.
Yet those who want Putin gone should be careful what they wish for. They just might get it, and what comes next could be far worse.
The views expressed in this piece are the author's own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
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