Vladimir Putin is Daring President Biden to Retaliate

During the era of President Barack Obama, Vladimir Putin, Russia’s latest violent dictators, tested hard the U.S. Administration, and it faced very few retaliatory steps except for the garden variety of toothless sanctions. Putin remembers well who else was sitting in the White House as Vice-President during his feasting. Just like yesteryear, today Vladimir Putin is daring President Biden to retaliate as Putin’s hackers threaten our national security by interrupting our gas and food supplies.

To counter, the Biden Administration announced it is “mulling” to retaliate. Such might include using our own military cyber defenses to harm the Russian economy.

But are we really serious about using our military cyber capabilities? Or was the public threat the Biden Administration made against Russia another Obama-like mini red line any two-cents dictator could cross with impunity? Putin is betting on the latter given the history of the Obama-Biden team.

In fact, I expect Russian hackers to continue their attacks, and President Biden to continue “mulling”. It is just the nature of the beasts in power today. Both here and in Russia.

Of course, such attacks did not happen during the era of the previous one.

It is the nature of the Russian beast to keep wolfing until a bigger wolf bites him hard.

IF BIDEN WAS SERIOUS HE WOULD DRAW A RED LINE

Many who lived during the height of the Syrian civil war witnessed President Obama drawing a red line to scare the Assad regime into halting its chemical attacks on innocent women and children. The trick did not work. Assad used more sarin gas to attack innocent civilians, and Obama recoiled into a corner room of the White House full of fear to respond.

That episode of total collapse of Obama’s foreign policy became the poster child of his administration. Democrats and Republicans alike criticized him for his retreat.

Today, President Biden is facing a considerable Russian threat that the media has covered but not with the national security implications these attacks deserve. It’s the media giving Biden a free pass.

If Biden is truly serious about retaliating against Russian aggression against our economy, he would draw a red line. One that he would let no one cross to mark the real difference between his administration and the one he served in between 2009 and 2017. A real red line that marks our security interests. Just like a wolf pee marks his territory.

Anything short of that, Biden is in for a long four years where his empty threats against a dictator who has never been bitten by a real wolf will invite even more acute and dangerous cyber attacks.

It is the nature of the Russian beast to keep wolfing until a bigger wolf bites him hard.

If Biden was truly serious about his cyber threats against Russia, he would draw a red line he would let no one cross.

The question is: Does Biden has what it takes to strike back hard? Or will he emulate the Obama years of retreat and humiliation?

… will he [Biden] dance around the subject hating to stop another wolf’s trespassing over our territory?

UPCOMING SUMMIT

The US and Europe are holding, on June 11, the G-7 Summit in Cornwall, UK. Among the countries invited this year is Russia, which means the likelihood of a tête-à-tête between Biden and Putin is highly probable.

Will this sit down be the appropriate time for Biden to send a clear message to Putin to arrest the Russian hackers responsible for harming our economy? Will he impose himself on Putin and draw a private red line? Or will he dance around the subject hating to stop another wolf’s trespassing over our territory?

That remains a question mark.

All I know is that short of biting Putin hard, the attacks will only increase. You can bet on that and win.

Vladimir Putin is Daring President Biden to Retaliate