The Political Insider’s Brett Smith sat down with Responsible Statecraft editorial director Kelley Vlahos to discuss the potential of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia turning from a ‘cold war into a hot war’ and whether or not it leaves the United States susceptible to slipping into a World War with China.
Vlahos opined that a series of red lines being drawn by the Biden administration in Ukraine have continually been crossed while the President has vowed to do “whatever it takes to assist Ukraine in its war for as long as it takes.”
“I don’t want there to be an escalation, but I feel like this thing could go grinding on, will end up destroying Ukraine because they have limited resources – much more limited than Russia,” she explained.
“But at the same time, we’re kind of pushing them to keep going.”
Vlahos worries that while the media puts a good spin on the war with Russia, we’re going to wake up one day to the realization that the “country (Ukraine) is destroyed.”
“In typical American fashion (we) will probably just walk away, pay, and then shift over to the next front which would be China,” she said. “I’m just afraid we’re heading in that direction.”
RELATED: Trump Makes Impassioned Plea Calling for Peace, End to War in Ukraine
Vlahos Warns of What Might Happen If We Slip Into a War With China
Kelley Vlahos, a senior advisor at the Quincy Institute, warned that any consideration of sending fighter jets to Ukraine, something Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has requested, would “escalate the war.”
She points out how the United States has already allocated over $113 billion dollars of American taxpayer money and more recently sent 31 Abrams M1 tanks to help in the battle, not to mention the intellectual and emotional capital in dragging out the conflict.
Biden himself once insisted that tanks including American military personnel would mean “World War III.”
NATO is sending tanks to fight Russia.
In the past 24 hours, France, Germany, and the US said they would send armored vehicles to Ukraine.
In March, Biden said sending “tanks” to Ukraine is “called World War III.” pic.twitter.com/Y3eMNuR1wG
— Andre Damon (@Andre__Damon) January 5, 2023
“We’re training soldiers in Germany, we’re sending a lot of military hardware over there, we’re spending a lot of money,” Vlahos warned.
If you suddenly turn attention to China, which seems to have escalated matters by sending at least one spy balloon over American airspace in the past couple of weeks, “they would be a much bigger threat.”
RELATED: Trump Slams Biden’s Escalation, Sending Tanks to Ukraine: Warns Next ‘Come the Nukes’
War With China Would be a ‘Different Kettle of Fish’
Vlahos describes any escalation with China to be a completely “different kettle of fish.”
“They would be a much bigger threat,” she warns. “And all of the war gaming that’s been done here in Washington, setting up scenarios between the U.S. and China over Taiwan, we lose big time.”
.@KelleyBVlahos: If the military gets its way on the commandos, it will be crossing another red line, but we’d likely never know if it actually happens, because the activities would be “top secret.” https://t.co/r20ewQxxyJ
— Quincy Institute (@QuincyInst) February 11, 2023
The Political Insider reported on the most recent gaming in which China would ultimately be unsuccessful in securing Taiwan in the war scenario, but the cost to America and her allies would be very high.
“Either we lose outright or … everybody loses,” Vlahos relays. “I mean, just tons of ships sunk, people killed.”
“These games have been going on for the last few years and they’ve had equally dark conclusions.”
Jack Posobiec: The US is unable to help Taiwan incase of CCP invasion because the US is in a “hot proxy war with Russia and Ukraine”
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) January 9, 2023
Vlahos notes that many people in Washington like to beat the war drums but few have any understanding of the toll facing the United States if they are dragged into a World War, fighting both Russia and perhaps even more so, China.
“Yeah, hot war with China – it’s terrifying,” she said. “That’s scarier to me than when I was a kid in the 80s with the USSR, under the threat of mutually assured destruction.”
“China’s a whole different deal.”
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