The doctrine or perhaps better stated, the broad idea of ‘peace through strength’ has been fiercely debated throughout the modern era.
In contemporary geo-politics, the phrase has been most associated with the Barry Goldwater brand of Cold War American Republicanism.
But today, it is in Russia where many in opposition as well as the government are coming to learn the virtues of this idea, when properly applied.
Russia has suffered many centuries of invasion from Mongols, Poles/Lithuanians, Swedes in Russia’s early history, to Ottoman Turkey, France and Germany in more recent centuries.
The many wars fought on Russian soil have given the Russian people a strong distaste for war. But what is the best way to protect against this?
Many are increasingly coming to the understanding that the only way Russia can fend off aggressive NATO provocations is by answering them through measures designed to increase Russian military strength. This will have the overriding effect of either bringing NATO to the table or forcing NATO to bankrupt itself on developing new weapons.
Donald Trump seemed to embrace the idea of peace through strength during his campaign and some of his speeches since taking office appear to indicate he seeks to continue this doctrine. It runs contrary to the views of many in the Deep State who seek to engage in hot war after failed hot war.
If Trump succeeds, there is a chance that, from a position of strength and mutual respect, Russia and the United States can cooperate to de-escalate tensions in Europe and the wider world.
In 2014, speaking in Crimea, Russian opposition politician Vladimir Zhirinovsky outlined his views on why Russia should pursue a policy of peace through strength.
His speech is a clear example of a willingness to avoid war from a position that frightens rather than entices the enemy. As always, the firebrand leader of the LDPR (Liberal Democratic Party of Russia), uses interesting examples from history to substantiate his proposals.
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