Sunday, March 06, 2016

Moving Hearts and Minds

You don't need to win hearts and minds--and it would actually be better if the hearts and minds are hardened--if you drive the hearts and minds to your enemies.

General Breedlove, our EUCOM commander and the top NATO officer, says what I've long suspected about Russia:

Breedlove also had strong words for Russia, saying that its recent actions have placed it in opposition to US and NATO goals in the region, and that the Syrian government and its ally are “deliberately weaponizing migration in an attempt to overwhelm European structures and break European resolve.”

“Europe faces a resurgent and aggressive Russia,” Breedlove said. “Russia has chosen to be an adversary and poses a long-term existential threat to the US and to our European allies and partners,” adding that “Russia seeks to fracture our unity and challenge our resolve.”

Yes, this migration--which Russia can claim is within their power to shut down if Russia gets concessions--puts pressure on Europe to go along with Russia's objectives in Ukraine and Syria, not to mention the bigger effort of building up defenses in Europe against renewed Russian assertiveness against their neighbors.

And if you doubt that the Russians would do something so low, consider that France is making the same kind of threat:

France warned Britain on Thursday it would end border controls and let thousands of migrants move on to its neighbor if British voters backed leaving the European Union.

Yeah, that Channel Tunnel is looking great now, eh? How quickly can Britain seal the entry on their side with 50 feet of concrete?

Weaponized migrants. Nice. Weapons of Migrant Destruction?