Russia Is a Terrible Ally Against Terrorism

[DemocratSinceBirth]

Since early in his campaign, President Trump has made counterterrorism cooperation a pillar of his argument for improving relations with Russia. On the face of it, that idea might seem attractive: two of the world’s largest militaries and intelligence communities working together against the Islamic State and other jihadist networks to achieve progress that neither could alone.

But it’s a bad idea. A partnership with Russia of the kind Mr. Trump proposes has the potential to profoundly undermine the United States’ counterterrorism progress and shred our relationships with Sunni Muslims around the world. Moreover, it’s doubtful such an alliance could actually be forged.

Mr. Trump suggested in a recent interview with The Wall Street Journal that counterterrorism cooperation would be reason enough to lift the sanctions the Obama administration has levied for Russian interference in the presidential election. As he put it, “If you get along and if Russia is really helping us, why would anybody have sanctions if somebody’s doing some really great things?”

...

Embracing Russia and its brutal tactics has the potential to stoke anti-American sentiment and encourage radicalization among Muslims around the world. The thought that we would run that risk, particularly when the United States’ Muslim community is one of the best-integrated, least radicalized in a predominantly non-Muslim country, is simply foolish.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/23/opinion/russia-is-a-terrible-ally-against-terrorism.html?smprod=nytcore-ipad&smid=nytcore-ipad-share

[stonecutter357]

1. K&R!

[haele]

2. Russia wants us to be the vehicle for change to their world-view.

Make America the enemy his opposition in third world countries see rather than Russia. Russia learned their lesson in Afghanistan.

Haele

[DemocratSinceBirth]

3. Precisely. He wants to inflame Muslim and Chinese opinion against us.

He wants to blur the differences between us and Russia in the Muslim world.