The New York Times’ editorial board is taking seriously the idea that Russia poses a threat to the U.S. now that the Pentagon has listed it as America’s top national security threat. Yet it was just four years ago that the paper mocked former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney for saying that.
“It is undeniable that Russia has become openly aggressive under President Vladimir Putin, who has violated sovereign borders by annexing Crimea and stoking civil war in Ukraine,” the board said Wednesday. “A ceasefire in Ukraine was declared last year, but Russian forces still maintain a presence in eastern Ukraine, raising questions about whether Russia might try to extend its reach to the Baltic States.”
Recommended Stories
“There are other concerns as well. Russia has built a web of complex missile defenses that increasingly threaten NATO’s military access to airspace in parts of Europe, including one third of the skies of Poland,” the 165-year-old newspaper continued. “Similar Russian missile buildups are underway in Crimea and in Syria, where the Russians have beefed up their air campaign on behalf of the Assad government.”
Defense Secretary Ashton Carter listed a number of countries Tuesday that pose a threat to the United States, including China, North Korea and Iran, but focused primarily on Russia.
And though the Times disagreed with Carter’s call for increased defense spending, it agreed with his assessment that Russia is a danger that needs to be tamed.
“Given the Russian moves, it’s important that the United States and NATO allies reinforce their commitment to the common defense, especially at a time when Europe is under great stress from the flow of Syrians and other refugees and the rise of antiimmigrant rightwing political parties,” the newspaper warned.
“The increased American investment sends a message to Mr. Putin and provides leverage to demand that other NATO countries do more to increase their own defense budgets,” the editors wrote, but added again they disagreed with the Defense Secretary’s proposed increases to the defense budget.
The Times also worried terrorist groups like the Islamic State are getting short shrift, but conceded nonetheless that, “Deterring Russia is essential.”
The paper’s concession this week that Russia is a major threat to U.S. national security stands in sharp contrast to when it mocked Romney for saying it was America’s “No. 1 geopolitical foe.”
“His comments display either a shocking lack of knowledge about international affairs or just craven politics. Either way, they are reckless and unworthy of a major presidential contender,” the editorial board wrote in March 2012 in an article titled “The Never Ending Cold War.”
The paper, which went to lengths to defend President Obama’s infamous promise to Vladimir Putin that he’d have “more flexibility” to negotiate missile defense after the 2012 election, added at the time that Russia was “an unsavory player,” but saved its real criticism for the man who challenged the commander in chief’s re-election efforts.
“Russia can’t be wished away or denounced away. It has to be challenged and the relationship managed with vigilance and skepticism,” board said.
“There are real threats out there: Al Qaeda and its imitators, Iran, North Korea, economic stresses. Mr. Romney owes Americans a discussion of the real challenges facing this country and his solutions to them,” they added.
