Last week, Ukraine recaptured the city of Kherson from the Russians. It was one of the most stunning victories for Ukraine since the war began eight months ago. Still, the road ahead is long and uncertain. Just this week, Putin unleashed a heavy bombardment of missiles across Ukraine in an attempt to destroy the country’s energy infrastructure.
The stakes of this war are already high for Ukraine, but they are made exponentially higher—for countries across the globe—because of the looming danger of nuclear war.
Lt. Gen. HR McMaster returns to Honestly to talk about the chance of nuclear escalation; what plans our military has in place in the case of a nuclear attack on Ukraine; what a realistic end to the war might look like; how concessions will only embolden Putin; and why McMaster believes that America needs to remain actively invested in this war.
Listen to the conversation here:
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I am sincerely respectful of General McMaster and his service to the country. Yesterday, I attended the funeral of a 97 year old WWII Veteran. The US Navy sent a "Color Guard" to the funeral, and it was an amazing touchpoint to this man's legacy.
I am a post-Vietnam era "kid" like General McMaster and he took a path that most from our age did not take because the country was so tired of war after Vietnam. My Dad was a WWII and Korean War Veteran serving in the Navy, mainly as a Navy MD at the Philly Navy Yard. That said, the Military was just not part of our household conversation. Why?
I did not listen to the entire podcast, skipped through it, because the General is saying the same things about the same people that I have been hearing all of our lives. "Bad Ruskies, with Big Nukes". And yes, Putin certainly makes it easy for us to cast him as the Villain.
I don't have a "solution" because this is super complicated stuff - economics, Defense contractors, national pride, NATO, UN, culture, maybe some religion, and of course ego - both American and Russian.
I am interested in this conversation because:
1) We are a Military Family with an Active Duty son.
2) I am married to a woman with Paternal Grandparents from Odesa, Ukraine. They were Ukrainian Jews to add to the mix. I attended this documentary recently and the destruction of lives in Ukraine just sucks - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mariupol-unlost-hope-a-new-documentary-about-the-war-in-ukraine-tickets-433656758037
My suggestion to Bari is this - use your "Common Sense" to get other opinions in this conversation. You are young, smart, and oh yea, a woman. Please use those skills to find alternative views. Doing the same thing over and over has not worked. God knows, we Americans think we can fix everything. We can't, and hopefully we will continue to try - now with fresher eyes and voices.
Peace to all.
Bari, I've learned to appreciate you over the last couple of years. I won't be wasting one second on this podcast with McMaster. He's a life-long war guy who knows almost nothing more than being the belligerent bully in the playground and he couldn't give a damn about all the American blood he's directed to be spilled for nonsensical wars in my adult life. It takes great intelligence to build a nuclear bomb and yet there's absolutely no wisdom in doing so, much less talking about them. Please use your intelligence to interview somebody like Tulsi Gabbard who might contribute a human and earth loving perspective that leans towards wisdom before people like McMaster lead us into nuclear holocaust. Peace, Mike