June 2001. A “restricted meeting” between President George W. Bush and President Vladimir Putin. Not a podium performance, not a television soundbite, not a speech crafted for domestic applause. A private conversation, the place where empires are supposed to speak plainly, where leaders test ideas that could reroute decades.
And what does the memo show?
Putin raises the idea that Russia could eventually join NATO. He says Russia feels “left out” by NATO enlargement. He points to an older fact most Western publics were never meant to internalize: the Soviet Union applied to join NATO in 1954. He argues the reasons for rejection no longer apply. He suggests, almost clinically, that perhaps Russia could be an ally — “European and multi-ethnic,” comparable in character to the United States.
Probably the worst blunder in world geopolitical history, particularly Western geopolitical history. Not allying with Russia and then pushing NATO encroachments on Russia, followed by the Maidan color-revolution (done by USA), followed by insisting Ukraine join NATO puts the entire blame for this major failure on USA, no matter what bs the Europeans were also slinging.
I believe and hope Trump is trying to undo this enormous error and I hope he succeeds. ABN
American Buddhist Net 