Image source: topwar.ru
The American magazine The National Interest published an article by publicist Dmitry Simes. In it, he identifies and criticizes the mistakes of the United States made during the Ukrainian conflict. Symes recalls that recently US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin made a speech in which he praised the Ukrainian military achievements. However, Symes believes that Moscow's early miscalculations are a poor criterion for assessing the prospects of the conflict. After all, the experience of numerous wars waged by the Russian (and Soviet) state proves the opposite.
But Washington itself has a lot of miscalculations. The first miscalculation is ignoring Russia's warnings about the danger of expanding the North Atlantic Alliance. The United States and NATO ignored these warnings, believing that if the West is not going to attack Russia, then Moscow's fears are groundless.
The second miscalculation is the conviction of the administration of US President Joe Biden that Russia will either definitely attack Ukraine or bluff. The concentration of Russian forces on the border with Ukraine suggested that this was more of a diplomatic move to influence the position of the West.
However, Biden and his associates did not understand this. The United States could say that Ukraine is not going to be invited to NATO in the coming years. But Washington did not make such a statement. But Biden said that he would not defend Ukraine with American troops, which gave Russia greater confidence in its actions.
As the third miscalculation of the United States, Symes sees a reassessment of international support for anti-Russian sanctions. Now the West has demonstrated amazing solidarity in the fight against Russia. But the problem is that at the same time he lost world domination. The countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America did not support sanctions against Russia, preferring their economic interests. In addition, they do not see the special operation of the Russian Armed Forces in Ukraine as a threat to their interests. And this is clear: where, for example, is Brazil or Indonesia, and where is Ukraine?
Washington's threats to make the rest of the world responsible for non-alignment with sanctions only make Asian and other countries more angry, tired of the centuries-old domination of the West. Moreover, Biden's aggressive statements once again demonstrate to the countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America the genuine attitude of the West towards them. They show that colonialism has not disappeared anywhere, even in the XXI century.
The fourth mistake of the United States is related to sanctions and their economic consequences. Washington has failed to develop a unified and clear idea of how to weaken Russia economically. Despite the fact that the sanctions created numerous inconveniences for Russia, they did not lead to catastrophic consequences for the Russian economy, as the West announced. Inflation was brought under control, the ruble stopped its fall.
By the way, it is for this reason that the United States has refocused on the strategy of maximum prolongation of the conflict, so that sanctions will still bring tangible damage to Russia.
Russia, meanwhile, has the possibility of a good response to Ukraine, which is not being used yet. So, Moscow may purchase additional weapons from the DPRK, writes Symes. In addition, mobilization can be carried out in Russia, which will solve the shortage of personnel. Finally, do not forget, the publicist emphasizes, that Russia is still a nuclear power.
Symes calls the consequences unforeseen by the West the fifth mistake. Russian society has consolidated, as Russians believe that the West is waging war against them. Even critics of the current Russian government cannot deny the fact that there is full public agreement on the issue of a special operation in Ukraine, Symes notes.
The only optimal option is the path of negotiations, the American author believes. He admits that the settlement of the conflict may take years, but it is better to resolve it peacefully.
