As President Obama returns from vacation this week, and Congress returns next week, the focus in Washington, to the extent it is not on the election in ten weeks, will be on Iraq, Syria, and the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (“ISIS”). This is understandable, at least with respect to the latter, but it is wrong.
The first problem, the problem that needs the most immediate attention, is Russian aggression against Ukraine. Vladimir Putin has used the distractions of Ferguson, Missouri, and ISIS to increase his pressure on Ukraine. As I mentioned on Saturday, there is now Russian artillery located in Ukraine firing on Ukrainian forces.
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has been doing what he can to alert the world to Russia’s actions, as has U.S. General Philip Breedlove, NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe. (Among others, here.)
On Saturday, I said that the NATO summit in Wales on September 4-5 is the time and place to agree on more actions with respect to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. Hopefully, we have that much time. If we don’t, President Obama needs to be ready to act – and to lead, both our allies and the American public – in response to whatever Russia does. Because the problem is not just Ukraine. It is what Vladimir Putin tries to do after Ukraine if he is successful there.
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