A broken clock is right twice a day, and even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while.  It’s not surprising therefore that even as President Obama and the Soros Administration work feverishly to transform America into the USSA they would eventually stumble upon something that’s deserving of support by patriotic citizens.

The Cold War is over.  Or at least it was.  The fall of the Soviet Union, the greatest totalitarian horror of the twentieth Century came with a raised eyebrow instead of a bang.  Unlike the clean-up after those other failed totalitarian monsters, Mussolini, Hitler and Tojo there were no trials and no crimes against humanity.  Instead the masters of the gulags, the tormentors of innocents, and the destroyers of liberty received pensions and luxury dachas on the Black Sea disappearing into the woodwork along with much of the nation’s gold.  Instead of hanging by his heels from a lamppost Gorbachev started a think tank and began earning astronomical speaking fees from all his friends in the West.

The Cold War was a fifty year-long nightmare.  Yet today some History teachers in America characterize this multi-generational conflict as more extreme competition than a war, thus discounting the tens of thousands who died in Korea and Vietnam and the tens of millions who died in the gulags as if they were players fouled in a rough game.  Having forgotten the lessons of the past, our bellicose neo-cons are now blustering and bullying the best Congress money can buy into refusing to ratify the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START).

Yes, the treaty needs to be looked at closely.  Yes, we need rock solid assurances the treaty provides for our ability to maintain and modernize our deterrent force.  However, we need to realize that this treaty is more than just the next round in the nuclear stand-down initiated by President Reagan. This treaty is the next logical step in linking Russia to the West.

Russia has always been conflicted.  Is it a Western nation or an Eastern Empire?  Is it part of the legacy of the West, the Renaissance, the Enlightenment, the democratic revolutions and evolutions, or are they the true child of the Golden Horde the political descendent of the autocratic Czars?  Is it an honorable member of the human community or is it a ruthless gang of authoritarian Stalin wanabes out to dominate the world?

Today Russia is engaged in massive trade with the West, primarily Europe.  The capitalist cat has been let out of the bag and they would have a hard time putting that toothpaste back in the tube.  Our war in Afghanistan, without the assistance of Russia in allowing us to cross their territory with supplies, would resemble more of a siege than an assault, with us behind the barricades.  The long and winding road from Karachi through the Hindu Kush is a perilously thin life-line the enemy can disrupt or bock anytime it suits their fancy.  Without the alternate Russian access our heroes would be on the Little Big Horn looking for General Crook and Colonel Gibbon. 

I have long asked what our military establishment in Europe was accomplishing besides providing a bail-out for the socialist economies and the opportunity for them to have no meaningful military budgets interfering with their cradle-to-grave nanny states.  Who are we protecting them from: their own people?  If Russia permanently joins the West couldn’t we finally bring our troops home?  Perhaps we could even deploy them to our borders where they could protect us from invasion?

True, Russia may not be the quintessential example of a liberty loving representative republic, but then again neither any longer are we.  True, they may not be Adam Smith’s definition of a capitalist society, but then again neither any longer are we. They are however no longer the Evil Empire.  They are no longer a slave state run by megalomaniacs who have dozens of captive nations enthralled to their fever dream of world domination. 

If we send the new START Treaty the way of the Versailles Treaty we will undercut every Russian who supports democracy and engagement in Moscow.  We will empower every Russian who beats the drums of their age-old national obsession with encirclement.  Just as our indifference cut the legs out from the protestors in Iran after their last bogus elections, our failure to accept the Russian’s hand extended in friendship will ensure a Russian fist raised in defiance.

The last thing we need now is a new Cold War.  The last thing we need is Russia once again fueling every tin pot regime dedicated to American decline.  Imagine if instead of standing with the West in the War on Terror they were: supporting Iran instead of cancelling the delivery of previously purchased weapons systems, supplying arms to the Taliban as we supplied arms to Mujahedeen, and demanding an end to the dollars supremacy. 

On the positive side, the new START Treaty, which limits each side to less than 2,000 nuclear weapons leaves more than enough to get the job done if we ever need to vaporize anyone.  Though it isn’t perfect it also leaves in place the verification side of Reagan’s “Trust and Verify” wisdom.  If we lose this how are we going to retain any trust?  The loss of which will lead us back to the distrust, which was at the base of the fifty year long nuclear arms race.  Looking at this another way, ratification of the treaty is supported by an overwhelming and bipartisan collection of present and former intelligence, military and diplomatic leaders.  They all say the treaty is good for America.

The Neo-cons led us in turning our retribution/revenge raid against Al Qaeda and their Taliban hosts into a decade long experiment in nation-building.  They led us into a pre-emptive war in Iraq that has turned into a nation-building mission for an eternal garrison.  They are beating the war drums for a pre-emptive strike on Iran.  We cannot allow them to bait the Russian Bear and reignite the Cold War.  No matter what they or their fellow talking-heads call them these are all globalist distractions keeping our eyes overseas while the Progressives extinguish liberty at home. 

Though I have and I will continue to oppose President Obama when he acts against the interests of the Republic, I’m not afraid to speak out when he does something that will benefit the American people.  This may not be the beginning of unqualified support, but at least it’s a START.

Dr. Owens teaches History, Political Science, and Religion for Southside Virginia Community College and History for the American Public University System.  http://drrobertowens.com © 2010 Robert R. Owens dr.owens@comcast.net Follow Dr. Robert Owens on Facebook.