Christian Science Monitor quotes Dinu Patriciu Eurasia Center Director John E. Herbst on remarks by NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander, US Air Force General Philip Breedlove, that the United States needs to get tough with Russia:
Still, the comments of General Breedlove and others mark a shift in thinking, argues John Herbst, ambassador to Ukraine from 2003 to 2006 and former director of the Center for Complex Operations at National Defense University in Washington.
“I think it’s fair to say that six to eight months ago, if Breedlove had headed off in this direction he would have been walked back by the White House,” and told to tone down his rhetoric. “But not now,” says Mr. Herbst, who briefs US military commanders, “there’s been an evolution in attitudes, among our military but within the administration as well.”