Military Review English Edition July-August 2015 | Page 113

MR Letters to the Editor
A Response to George Michael’s “Is a Greater Russia Really so
Bad?”
(Military Review, January-February 2015)

D

ear Sir or Ma’am,
After carefully reading this essay, I
suspect the author
is either misinformed or he is
wishfully thinking. The title is
a hook to make you read it and
start a debate.
The author is trying to
empathize with Mr. Putin’s
motives for invading other
countries. Paraphrasing Mr.
Michael’s conclusion, Russia
is acting this way out of
self-preservation. The fallacy
of this argument is simple. It
was made by others in history,
and it never stood the test of
time. Russia is too big to be
successfully invaded. It has
enough natural resources, and
there are no external existential threats to the Russian state.
“The bitterness Russia harbors toward the United
States” is the result of a Russian toxic propaganda,
through TV, newspapers, social media, or online forums. It is not something that an American administration triggered. It is solely the result of an orchestrated

“Mother Russia” versus the “morally corrupt West”
mentality that the current Russian leaders have.
It is true that Russia and
United States have many common interests. But those are
being pushed aside by the blunt
force and sheer aggressiveness of
Russian behavior. There are more
threats involving nuclear power
from Russia than threats from
North Korea every week. And
the author is suggesting to turn
the other cheek? We are already
in another cold war, like it or
not. A new arms race will benefit
neither, but the United States can
sustain one, while Russia cannot.
The time of trying to give
pieces of independent countries
to Russia to keep the Bear fed
and content has passed. The only
way to deal with this is through an intelligent containment policy, maintaining a healthy technological
advantage, and (why not) reviving Reagan Star Wars.
Thank you.
Maj. Marius Tecoanta
Oregon National Guard

“Is a Greater Russia Really So Bad?,” George Michael, PhD
The author contends that the United States and Russia share similar threats to their long-term security
and their national identities. Therefore, it would be in the best interests of both countries to resist a
resumption of the Cold War, to reconcile differences, and to make a greater effort to understand their
respective points of view and interests.
The original article can be found in our January-February 2015 issue on page 99 by clicking on the link for
the electronic version or by clicking on the article cover for the Joomag version.
http://usacac.army.mil/CAC2/MilitaryReview/Archives/English/MilitaryReview_20150228_art018.pdf

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