EPISODE 203: “This is not a Nintendo Game” with Dr Stephen Bryen

“There is more respect to be won in the opinion of this world by a resolute and courageous liquidation of unsound positions than by the most stubborn pursuit of extravagant or unpromising objectives.” George F. Kennan, 1966

Americans may admire the valiant resistance of the Ukrainians to the Russian invasion and be proud that we have been able to support their defense. Yet now we have to ask: how does this war end?

Neither the leaders of Russia or Ukraine have espoused a goal that can restore peace in the area. Nor have any other suppliers of cash, military assistance and equipment – including the United States – articulated what an acceptable outcome might be.

At what point are the players in the conflict in Ukraine willing to stop fighting and enter into genuine negotiations to bring peace in Ukraine?

The primary concern of any American government must be the security interests of the American people. How is continuing to escalate the conflict in Ukraine serving American interests?

To learn more about what’s increasingly looking like madness, I’m talking again with the very wise Dr. Stephen Bryen, a senior fellow at the Center for Security Policy and the Yorktown Institute. Dr Bryen has over 50 years national security experience with a long resume that includes serving as Senior Staff Director of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee and several stints in the Pentagon where he was known as the Yoda of the arms trade.

“How many Ukrainians have to die before we sort this thing out?” asks Stephen. “What’s the end game here?”

Ukraine has never been of strategic importance to the United States. We have no treaties or agreements with Ukraine. The Ukrainians are now saying they need air defenses. Where are we going to get them? We would have to take them out of our inventory of active systems and move them to Ukraine.

The Biden Administration has been bent on regime change in Russia from day one. There were any number of things that could have been done to deter Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, but we did not do them.

“It’s clear, this is an American war, using the Ukrainians as proxies,” says Stephen. 

And now the war is escalating beyond what most “official Washington” could have imagined. Putin has installed a new commander, whose nickname is “General Armageddon” for his ruthless annihilation of Syria. Ukraine’s President Zelensky has called for nuclear weapons.

“They’re calling tactical nuclear weapons at 15 kilotons tactical. The bomb that destroyed Hiroshima was 11 kilotons,” reminds Stephen “Nuclear war is nuclear war. If we get into a nuclear war, the chance of global nuclear war is very high indeed.”

“This is not a Nintendo game. This is a deadly, serious, dangerous, globally dangerous situation, and we’re not handling it responsibly.”

Strong and upsetting words. But true words. You won’t find Dr Stephen Bryen’s wisdom covered by the mainstream media. His is a voice that must be listened to.