'It's evil:' Pence says U.S. may have to deploy troops against Russia

[Boats]

'It's evil:' Pence says U.S. may have to deploy troops against Russia
By: Gideon Rubin - RawStory News 07-05-23
Re: https://www.rawstory.com/mike-pence-ukraine/

Note: You can listen to Pence on this site - if you go to the link above.

Mike Pence said Wednesday that American troops could be deployed to the battlefield should Russian troops get the upper hand in their war against Ukraine.

The former vice president, who last week made a surprise visit to Ukraine and has broken with some in his party over his support for U.S. aid for the Eastern European nation, raised the possibility of American troops fighting Russia during an appearance on the conservative Hugh Hewitt Show.

He said he views Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine as “evil,” and said it’s in America’s vital interests to stop the Russian leader from advancing deeper into Europe.

He said during his visit to Ukraine he visited the city of Bucha, the site of some of worst atrocities Europe has seen since World War II at the hands of Putin’s troops, who according to some accounts opened fire on hundreds of civilians including women and children.
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“There was a mass grave that was built by the church. We laid a wreath last week. I mean, I must tell you that what’s going on in Ukraine right now is not just war, it’s evil,” Pence said.
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“And frankly, I really left more resolved than ever that it is in our national interest to give the Ukrainian military the support they need to fight and to repel this Russian invasion. I have no doubt that Vladimir Putin is now facing profound divisions within his own country and his own military. I have no doubt that if Vladimir Putin overran Ukraine, it would not be too long, Hugh, before the Russian military crossed a border where we would have to send our fighting men and women to fight against them.”

Pence said he was relying on the “Reagan Doctrine” in his assessment of the crisis that called for backing democratic allies.

“So I’m a guy who believes in that old Reagan doctrine,” Pence said.

“If you’re willing to fight the enemies of the United States on your soil, we’ll give you the means to fight them there so our men and women in uniform don’t have to fight them. And I’m going to continue to be a voice for that in this campaign and all across this country.”

Personal Note: [So I'm not alone - there is belief in the old Reagan Doctrine!]

[Here's a link to read the Reagan Doctrine]:
Re: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reagan_Doctrine

[The Reagan Doctrine was stated by United States President Ronald Reagan in his State of the Union address on February 6, 1985: "We must not break faith with those who are risking their lives—on every continent from Afghanistan to Nicaragua—to defy Soviet-supported aggression and secure rights which have been ours from birth."[1] It was a strategy implemented by the Reagan Administration to overwhelm the global influence of the Soviet Union in the late Cold War. The doctrine was a centerpiece of United States foreign policy from the early 1980s until the end of the Cold War in 1991.

Under the Reagan Doctrine, the United States provided overt and covert aid to anti-communist guerrillas and resistance movements in an effort to "roll back" Soviet-backed pro-communist governments in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The doctrine was designed to diminish Soviet influence in these regions as part of the administration's overall strategy to win the Cold War.]

The Reagan Doctrine followed in the tradition of U.S. presidents developing foreign policy "doctrines", which were designed to reflect challenges facing international relations, and to propose foreign policy solutions. The practice began with the Monroe Doctrine in 1823, and continued with the Roosevelt Corollary, sometimes called the Roosevelt Doctrine, introduced by Theodore Roosevelt in 1904.

The post–World War II tradition of Presidential doctrines started with the Truman Doctrine in 1947, under which the US provided support to the governments of Greece and Turkey as part of a Cold War strategy to keep both nations out of the Soviet sphere of influence. It was followed by the Eisenhower Doctrine, the Kennedy Doctrine, the Johnson Doctrine, the Nixon Doctrine, and the Carter Doctrine, all of which defined the foreign policy approaches of these respective U.S. presidents on some of the largest global challenges of their presidencies.

Reagan administration advocates

The U.S.-supported Nicaraguan contras.

Within the Reagan administration, the doctrine was quickly embraced by nearly all of Reagan's top national security and foreign policy officials, including Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger, UN Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick, and a series of Reagan National Security advisers including John Poindexter, Frank Carlucci, and Colin Powell.[13]

Reagan himself was a vocal proponent of the policy. Seeking to expand Congressional support for the doctrine in the 1985 State of the Union Address in February 1985, Reagan said: "We must not break faith with those who are risking their lives ... on every continent, from Afghanistan to Nicaragua ... to defy Soviet aggression and secure rights which have been ours from birth. Support for freedom fighters is self-defense".

As part of his effort to gain Congressional support for the Nicaraguan contras, Reagan labeled the contras "the moral equivalent of our founding fathers", which was controversial because the contras had shown a disregard for human rights.[14] There also were multiple allegations that members of the contra leadership were involved in cocaine trafficking.[15]

Reagan and other conservative advocates of the Reagan Doctrine advocates also argued that the doctrine served U.S. foreign policy and strategic objectives and was a moral imperative against the former Soviet Union, which Reagan, his advisers, and supporters labeled an "evil empire".

"Rollback" replaces "containment" and "détente"

U.S.-supported UNITA leader Jonas Savimbi.
The Reagan Doctrine was especially significant because it represented a substantial shift in the post–World War II foreign policy of the United States. Prior to the Reagan Doctrine, U.S. foreign policy in the Cold War was rooted in "containment", as originally defined by George F. Kennan, John Foster Dulles, and other post–World War II U.S. foreign policy experts. In January 1977, four years prior to becoming president, Reagan bluntly stated, in a conversation with Richard V. Allen, his basic expectation in relation to the Cold War. "My idea of American policy toward the Soviet Union is simple, and some would say simplistic," he said. "It is this: We win and they lose. What do you think of that?"[21]

Although a similar policy of "rollback" had been considered on a few occasions during the Cold War, the U.S. government, fearing an escalation of the Cold War and possible nuclear conflict, chose not to confront the Soviet Union directly. With the Reagan Doctrine, those fears were set aside and the United States began to openly confront Soviet-supported governments through support of rebel movements in the doctrine's targeted countries.

One perceived benefit of the Reagan Doctrine was the relatively low cost of supporting guerrilla forces compared to the Soviet Union's expenses in propping up client states. Another benefit was the lack of direct involvement of American troops, which allowed the United States to confront Soviet allies without sustaining casualties. Especially since the September 11 attacks, some Reagan Doctrine critics have argued that, by facilitating the transfer of large amounts of weapons to various areas of the world and by training military leaders in these regions, the Reagan Doctrine actually contributed to "blowback" by strengthening some political and military movements that ultimately developed hostility toward the United States, such as al-Qaeda in Afghanistan.[22] However, no direct U.S. aid to Osama bin Laden or any of his affiliates has ever been established.[23]

All of these developments were Reagan Doctrine victories, the doctrine's advocates argue, laying the ground for the ultimate dissolution of the Soviet Union.[33] Michael Johns later argued that "the Reagan-led effort to support freedom fighters resisting Soviet oppression led successfully to the first major military defeat of the Soviet Union ... Sending the Red Army packing from Afghanistan proved one of the single most important contributing factors in one of history's most profoundly positive and important developments".[34]

The Reagan Doctrine continued into the administration of Reagan's successor, George H. W. Bush, who won the U.S. presidency in November 1988. Bush's presidency featured the final years of the Cold War and the Gulf War, but the Reagan Doctrine soon faded from U.S. policy as the Cold War ended.[36] Bush also noted a presumed peace dividend to the end of the Cold War with economic benefits of a decrease in defense spending. However, following the presidency of Bill Clinton, a change in United States foreign policy was introduced with the presidency of his son George W. Bush and the new Bush Doctrine, who increased military spending in response to the September 11th attacks.

In Nicaragua, the Contra War ended after the Sandinista government, facing military and political pressure, agreed to new elections, in which the contras' political wing participated, in 1990. In Angola, an agreement in 1989 met Savimbi's demand for the removal of Soviet, Cuban and other military troops and advisers from Angola. Also in 1989, in relation to Afghanistan, Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev labeled the war against the U.S.-supported mujahideen a "bleeding wound" and ended the Soviet occupation of the country.[37]
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As we can see the Soviet's - North Korea & China are the main players and a
"big part" in the world disorder's. All have tried several times to break the
American spirit of doing what's right. Thereby putting us on notice that they
[like Russia & others] have been put on notice that they are off base - stating
"Peace through Strength" which is the only answer that maintains the world's order.
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Since then - many nations have tested our resolve and tried to over-ride America's
interest in securing a world order. Wherever those who are suffering from insecurity
and/or mistreatment - America will not tolerate such actions and/or threats and so
this is where we are - along with our NATO members - even at this time.
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