Ukraine???!!! HELL NO. NATO members states + a few treaty states is the red line.
The easiest solution is to stop issuing them visas, kick them and their families out, confiscate all of their assets, etc. The U.S. and UK should have done this years ago. I've posted about birthright citizenship before and why it's an absolute disaster. It's a major national security threat. You have children of Russian oligarchs who are American citizens in name only.
Investing in green tech is too long term. Start with what I've mentioned to Wiede above. Nothing will get Russians squealing faster then when they can't vacation in Miami Beach.
I believed that their actions during the 2016 election were an act of war. I don't know why their hacking of the GOP is of increased seriousness. I significantly criticized Obama for not declaring a state of emergency and martial law. I believe that we will eventually find out that our current President is an enemy combatant. If Obama had even 1/10 of that knowledge, candidate Trump should have been held in detention.
Wrt to cyber security... the sad truth is that it's much cheaper and easier to be an aggressor in cyber. You only need to find one weakness in an entire system.
We are in their systems and they are in ours. That's a deterrent unto itself. The difference is that the Russians don't play by the rules of the road. They are a rogue state.
The problem with responding with force is that it can escalate out of control. We are talking about two nuclear states. One is rogue.
I’d never advocate for responding with physical force. There’s plenty we can do elsewhere to make life uncomfortable for them.
I like your visa idea.
I also like hacking some of their stuff, and releasing some really personally embarrassing stuff of Putin/important oligarchs/state leaders.
Or, even better, releasing details of the theft of the Russian people’s money. Through anonymous sources of course. Beat them at their own damn sick, twisted game.
Although that may be pushing it, because Putin could view it as an act of overt war. His livelihood depends on propoganda & silencing people. And it’s pretty clear he’ll do anything to stay in power- that’s how authoritarians behave. And anything that he views as a serious threat could be met with physical force.
And, to your point, during all of this (outside of maybe a few more extreme actions), not a single shot would be fired.
If they aren’t going to play by the rules, why should we? Especially in the cyber arena. What they’ve done in hacking is really basic stuff. They’ve just had a solid plan, and have been able to fine tune it over several years.
Putin is betting on the west not doing a damn thing. Because so far, we really haven’t done anything, outside of raising our collective fists and yelling at the sky. He’ll take whatever you give him, and like a little kid, he’s going to continue to push the boundaries until you shut him kid down, by punishing him.
It’s time for some timeouts for mother Russia, in other words. He’s out of control, and doing nothing isn’t working.
You know, the current administration could really use the expertise of folks like Michael McFaul, who know Russia really well. Instead, the current administration is trying to do to him and others what Putin does to his domestic (Russian) enemies.
Trump had been groomed by Russia for years- they targeted him as an important figure a long time ago. They knew his pyschological profile well. Basically they learned to flatter him, put beautiful women around him, offer him business opportunities, help him in nefarious ways- because he’ll take the help.
But, Trump won’t be around forever.
I have a feeling once the true extent of their interference efforts are known, they’ll wish they never did what they did. That’s why the indictments of the 13 Russians are important. It’s important groundwork for what’s to come in the probe. The mandate is to investigate the extent of their interference.
Russia is kind of like the dog that caught the car right now. They got what they wanted, but they aren’t ready for the owner that steps out of the car with a gun. The gun in this situation is our resolve to punish them for what they’ve done. And I tend to think that it’ll be pretty severe.