Jen Rubin interviews Alexander Vindman on the state of the Ukraine-Russia war, American military strategy, and where our relationship with Russia stands today.
I'm just getting started watching this, but I can't contain my gut response to Trump's blocking the sharing of intelligence with Ukraine and the resulting destruction and death. This alone is enough to remove Trump from office. Please, Americans, everyone should be calling their reps and asking them to get Trump out of there!
Focusing on what really matters, Alexander Vindman is a model of integrity. Do the rest of us think that here, right matters?
I think the reason our reps have not done more is because we, the people, are not doing more. Yes, they are supposed to lead, but only massive support can overcome their fears.
I have become so disgusted with the news that greets me day after day. I cannot begin to describe to you the anger I feel at the American voter voting in such an obviously incompetent and flawed individual in the likes of Donald Trump. If one thing is clear and obvious to me it is that we have brought this disaster upon ourselves and the sheer magnitude of the scope and breadth of how badly things are unraveling in so many different arenas shows to me clearly just how badly off the mark we were in running him for president.
At this point I find it difficult to even watch the news. It supersaturates me with pain.
We can’t forget that Trump voters re-elected him after he raped a woman, committed 34 counts of felony and caused an insurrection. They want us to forget by repeating the same lies over again but when you understand the MAGA mind (oxymoron) you immediately understand that fear and hate are all they have so their minds were pre-molded by years of propaganda, indoctrination and underfunded public schools. And if you were to draw a homonculus based on the MAGA brain it would be all amygdala, little else.
I hear you, Robert, and I feel that, too. And there are a couple of things I find it helpful to recognize. First, many if not most of Trump supporters fall into one of two classes. Either they are not paying enough attention--the so-called low information voters, or they were so saturated by media (especially social media) created and maintained for the purpose of manipulating people's fear and consequent rage, that they don't know their head from a hole in the ground. It seems as if people who consume media with more balance and discretion were better able to see and call a spade a spade. And they, a majority of us, actually, did NOT vote for Trump. Meanwhile, my friend, he is doing a thing he has done many times before: running himself right off a cliff.
Any way that the rest of the world can help Trump over that cliff?
He'll never willingly do it himself and it seems there is enough support for him (God knows why) that his 'base' will never give him that necessary push.
Questions-
Is the majority of the US public so misogynistic that they couldn't possibly elect a woman as POTUS or do they really not care about democratic governance any longer?
Do they choose to listen to- and believe- sources such as FOX because it confirms their already decided opinions or do they form their opinions by listening to FOX?
Can they not see that Elon Musk bought and paid for Trump- and the presidency- and that Musk is calling the shots with Trump as his talking puppet?
Misogyny is real and ubiquitous, but still more real is very basic human nature--big ideals like democracy are not as important as concrete daily experience UNLESS somebody makes the big ideals important. Libertarians have done a great job over several decades of making anti-government important, and MAGA has done a great job of making liberals, immigrants, and transgender people the enemy. There's nothing so important as an enemy, and that successful narrative is not going to let up, because the people running MAGA have done their homework.
Robert,I am right there with you. I cannot get out of the fog of fixation
regarding the ineptitude and fascist depth of American voters who supported this monster. And still do. Evil Deirdre wants them to suffer and die a horrible death. Nice Deirdre does not want to understand their reasons, but hopes
all sane people will fight as much as possible! Who the hell asked for this
catastrophic world wide situation? It is between good and evil and we are evil. WTH??!
Don’t forget to please donate to our individual support for Ukraine: u24.gov.ua. Now closing in on $1.5 billion — any way to thumb our noses at our First Felon! Go Contrarians!
I couldn't find them on charity navigator, so maybe they aren't 501c3. Razom, Inc, referred to by Robert Reich, is a 4-star rated charity that qualifies for QCD status, if that's how you would like to help. See https://www.razomforukraine.org/donate/?ref=footer
Just type in the url and you’ll get Zelenskyy’s portrait, his message thereafter. Look at the top of the screen to see $$ donated, to defense, medical, civil help, etc. Wouldn’t believe anything 501(c)(3) now that President Musk can get into it — even tho it has “.gov”.
Someone needs to say out loud that Trump's actions today are not the actions of a mind that is working correctly. And I don't say that just because I loathe Trump. He started the day with actions aimed at intentionally harming the people of Ukraine. Trump then blasted Russia and threatened it with even greater sanctions. A very few hours later Trump says Putin is doing "what anyone else would do" as Putin bombs away. And no, Trump will not provide any assistance for Ukraine, our ally or three full years of war.
The same approach has been taken with Canadian tariffs. Within 24 hours those tariffs were on, then off for a month, then tariffs on lumber and dairy products (major Canadian exports) were resumed today. Trump acts as if all of these actions are the work of a "normal" mind. They are not. And it is time to say the quiet part...out loud!!!
He clearly has severe mental impairments, although his trained barking seals in Congress will never admit that.
On top of that, he’s always been a genuinely stupid man who understands nothing about how anything works, and has absolutely no interest in learning. Some of his dimwitted followers still unbelievably maintain he’s playing five-dimensional chess. No, he really does believe tariffs are a good thing. Yes, he really is just that stupid.
The Contrarian has provided outstanding coverage of Ukraine. but this interview, I think, is the best yet.
As Vindman provided specifics, I thought so this is what a meeting of informed, senior military might sound like. And I further thought that while such meetings may not be happening in Washington DC, they are happening in Europe. So like Vindman, there are smart minds in Europe addressing Ukraine's future. Not that the meetings change facts or turn bad news into good news. But watching and listening to Vindman, I was heartened by the thought that Vindman represents a deep resource of military intelligence that persists.
Outstanding coverage? Sorry, but if there has been any Ukraine coverage. I missed it. In fact, I’ve been bothered by the fact that there’s very little Ukraine coverage, almost none in the first three weeks. I don’t believe there are any regular columnists reporting from Ukraine in the contrarian, even though there are several very good ones out there.
Thanks, I would add Ukraine: The Latest daily podcast. Also France24-English.
I can find news reporting, but I’m still disappointed that Ukraine is not covered regularly along with all the other more Americentric topics related to the Trump regime. They are all important, but Ukraine stands out as having millions of lives and destinies directly under Trump’s thumb. In America, we have the Constitution, courts, Congress and other institutions to fight back with. Ukrainians have nothing, as we see now that Trump cancelled arms delivery and air defense data to Ukraine. They have no means to appeal this action. Ukrainians died as a result.
For its first three weeks there was no coverage of Ukraine in The Contrarian, and still no regular coverage that I’m aware of.
Wow, really enjoyed the chance to hear from Alexander Vindman, Contrarian! What a smart, stand up guy ... and someone worthy of a "Profiles in Courage" chapter. Two phrases really resonated with me. One was his comments on DJT undercutting Ukraine and noting how decidedly "ignorant and malicious" that is. The other was the word "resolve" and the lack of of the moral or values based resolve that has allowed Russia to behave has it has over the last 30 years.
Trumphuk’s decision to withhold intelligence from Ukraine is a horrific sabotage of its defense against Russia’s aggression and will have huge implications for US future standing in the world. Vindman correctly calls out the so-called “realist” notions of foreign policy which in essence are devoid of larger concepts and values. Having been a professor teaching international relations and an analyst dealing with national security issues for several decades I believe the US must pursue national security from a much broader perspective than the simplistic myopic lens of “national interest”. Realism is unrealistic in the complex intertwined world. With Trumphuk taking us down this path we are lost.
A French Senator made this speech about Ukraine and Trump https://youtu.be/unSSHfIs3U0?feature=shared and he’s absolutely right. Why is no one in either house of our Congress speaking out like this?
I have been emailing my Senator John Curtis R-UT, who took Mitt Romney’s seat in 2024, almost daily about pushing back against Trump’s pro Putin/Russia position. We need encourage these type of Senators to be their best selves and do the right thing for our long-term geopolitical interests. Below are the main points from his February 25, 2025 reply to me:
I was a member of the 1) Senate Foreign Relations Committee and 2) the Subcommittee on Europe
President Zelensky and the Ukrainian people have stood admirably against an unprovoked invasion.
1) Use seized Russian assets to support paying for Ukraine’s military efforts. I am proud to report that an updated version of that proposal became law in April 2024.
2) Proposed a bill imposing severe secondary sanctions on Russian oil and gas to choke off the main resource fueling Russia’s war economy.
3)I have stood firmly with Ukraine—pushing to eliminate any delays in weapons shipments—and met directly with President Zelensky when he visited Utah in July 2024.
4) I want to see this war end, but it must be done on terms that bring lasting stability and peace. That means ensuring that Vladimir Putin does not walk away with a victory.
5) Any long-term peace must come from strength, not concession.
I'm just getting started watching this, but I can't contain my gut response to Trump's blocking the sharing of intelligence with Ukraine and the resulting destruction and death. This alone is enough to remove Trump from office. Please, Americans, everyone should be calling their reps and asking them to get Trump out of there!
Focusing on what really matters, Alexander Vindman is a model of integrity. Do the rest of us think that here, right matters?
I think the reason our reps have not done more is because we, the people, are not doing more. Yes, they are supposed to lead, but only massive support can overcome their fears.
It was not easy to get America to oppose Hitler. It took a devastating attack on Pearl Harbor for FDR to get the American public behind him enough to fully engage. It makes me cry to think what this means for us now. https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/arsenal-ally-united-states-enters-war
I have become so disgusted with the news that greets me day after day. I cannot begin to describe to you the anger I feel at the American voter voting in such an obviously incompetent and flawed individual in the likes of Donald Trump. If one thing is clear and obvious to me it is that we have brought this disaster upon ourselves and the sheer magnitude of the scope and breadth of how badly things are unraveling in so many different arenas shows to me clearly just how badly off the mark we were in running him for president.
At this point I find it difficult to even watch the news. It supersaturates me with pain.
We can’t forget that Trump voters re-elected him after he raped a woman, committed 34 counts of felony and caused an insurrection. They want us to forget by repeating the same lies over again but when you understand the MAGA mind (oxymoron) you immediately understand that fear and hate are all they have so their minds were pre-molded by years of propaganda, indoctrination and underfunded public schools. And if you were to draw a homonculus based on the MAGA brain it would be all amygdala, little else.
Absolutely true Mike.
Medulla
Controls breathing
I hear you, Robert, and I feel that, too. And there are a couple of things I find it helpful to recognize. First, many if not most of Trump supporters fall into one of two classes. Either they are not paying enough attention--the so-called low information voters, or they were so saturated by media (especially social media) created and maintained for the purpose of manipulating people's fear and consequent rage, that they don't know their head from a hole in the ground. It seems as if people who consume media with more balance and discretion were better able to see and call a spade a spade. And they, a majority of us, actually, did NOT vote for Trump. Meanwhile, my friend, he is doing a thing he has done many times before: running himself right off a cliff.
Let us hope trump runs himself off a cliff.
Any way that the rest of the world can help Trump over that cliff?
He'll never willingly do it himself and it seems there is enough support for him (God knows why) that his 'base' will never give him that necessary push.
Questions-
Is the majority of the US public so misogynistic that they couldn't possibly elect a woman as POTUS or do they really not care about democratic governance any longer?
Do they choose to listen to- and believe- sources such as FOX because it confirms their already decided opinions or do they form their opinions by listening to FOX?
Can they not see that Elon Musk bought and paid for Trump- and the presidency- and that Musk is calling the shots with Trump as his talking puppet?
Misogyny is real and ubiquitous, but still more real is very basic human nature--big ideals like democracy are not as important as concrete daily experience UNLESS somebody makes the big ideals important. Libertarians have done a great job over several decades of making anti-government important, and MAGA has done a great job of making liberals, immigrants, and transgender people the enemy. There's nothing so important as an enemy, and that successful narrative is not going to let up, because the people running MAGA have done their homework.
Ok Leigh, valid point. My question is: how can anyone who is not
in preschool listen to Trump utter a sentence and not realize he is
batsh*t crazy? Seriously. I now have absolutely no respect for Trump voters because he says the evil he will do. And he is doing it.
The person next to me in line at the grocery would obviously be fine
in the early 1940s with the smell of death camps in their town.
They are lost to me personally.
It is the majority of voters who stayed home. These are who we need.
Yes, I wonder how all those ”I don’t like him, but he‘ll help the economy” voters feel now?
Robert,I am right there with you. I cannot get out of the fog of fixation
regarding the ineptitude and fascist depth of American voters who supported this monster. And still do. Evil Deirdre wants them to suffer and die a horrible death. Nice Deirdre does not want to understand their reasons, but hopes
all sane people will fight as much as possible! Who the hell asked for this
catastrophic world wide situation? It is between good and evil and we are evil. WTH??!
Don’t forget to please donate to our individual support for Ukraine: u24.gov.ua. Now closing in on $1.5 billion — any way to thumb our noses at our First Felon! Go Contrarians!
I donated a few days ago.
Me too !
Ditto
Thank you, done!
I couldn't find them on charity navigator, so maybe they aren't 501c3. Razom, Inc, referred to by Robert Reich, is a 4-star rated charity that qualifies for QCD status, if that's how you would like to help. See https://www.razomforukraine.org/donate/?ref=footer
Just type in the url and you’ll get Zelenskyy’s portrait, his message thereafter. Look at the top of the screen to see $$ donated, to defense, medical, civil help, etc. Wouldn’t believe anything 501(c)(3) now that President Musk can get into it — even tho it has “.gov”.
Someone needs to say out loud that Trump's actions today are not the actions of a mind that is working correctly. And I don't say that just because I loathe Trump. He started the day with actions aimed at intentionally harming the people of Ukraine. Trump then blasted Russia and threatened it with even greater sanctions. A very few hours later Trump says Putin is doing "what anyone else would do" as Putin bombs away. And no, Trump will not provide any assistance for Ukraine, our ally or three full years of war.
The same approach has been taken with Canadian tariffs. Within 24 hours those tariffs were on, then off for a month, then tariffs on lumber and dairy products (major Canadian exports) were resumed today. Trump acts as if all of these actions are the work of a "normal" mind. They are not. And it is time to say the quiet part...out loud!!!
He clearly has severe mental impairments, although his trained barking seals in Congress will never admit that.
On top of that, he’s always been a genuinely stupid man who understands nothing about how anything works, and has absolutely no interest in learning. Some of his dimwitted followers still unbelievably maintain he’s playing five-dimensional chess. No, he really does believe tariffs are a good thing. Yes, he really is just that stupid.
What a remarkable person. You are forced into retirement from the military so what do you do ? Obtain a doctorate at
from Johns Hopkins .
I am so proud of Alexander Vindeman!
Alexander Vindman is awesome! He is principled and fascinating!
And fluent!
The Contrarian has provided outstanding coverage of Ukraine. but this interview, I think, is the best yet.
As Vindman provided specifics, I thought so this is what a meeting of informed, senior military might sound like. And I further thought that while such meetings may not be happening in Washington DC, they are happening in Europe. So like Vindman, there are smart minds in Europe addressing Ukraine's future. Not that the meetings change facts or turn bad news into good news. But watching and listening to Vindman, I was heartened by the thought that Vindman represents a deep resource of military intelligence that persists.
BTW now want to buy his book.
Outstanding coverage? Sorry, but if there has been any Ukraine coverage. I missed it. In fact, I’ve been bothered by the fact that there’s very little Ukraine coverage, almost none in the first three weeks. I don’t believe there are any regular columnists reporting from Ukraine in the contrarian, even though there are several very good ones out there.
I agree The Contrarian should cover this better, however news is still available - why depend on columnists?
- The Guardian provides regular updates.
- Ukraine has two news outlets that focus on war news
KYIV POST at https://www.kyivpost.com/topic/war-in-ukraine (This includes an ISW summary: https://www.kyivpost.com/post/48423)
KYIV INDEPENDANT at https://kyivindependent.com/tag/war/
Thanks, I would add Ukraine: The Latest daily podcast. Also France24-English.
I can find news reporting, but I’m still disappointed that Ukraine is not covered regularly along with all the other more Americentric topics related to the Trump regime. They are all important, but Ukraine stands out as having millions of lives and destinies directly under Trump’s thumb. In America, we have the Constitution, courts, Congress and other institutions to fight back with. Ukrainians have nothing, as we see now that Trump cancelled arms delivery and air defense data to Ukraine. They have no means to appeal this action. Ukrainians died as a result.
For its first three weeks there was no coverage of Ukraine in The Contrarian, and still no regular coverage that I’m aware of.
Wow, really enjoyed the chance to hear from Alexander Vindman, Contrarian! What a smart, stand up guy ... and someone worthy of a "Profiles in Courage" chapter. Two phrases really resonated with me. One was his comments on DJT undercutting Ukraine and noting how decidedly "ignorant and malicious" that is. The other was the word "resolve" and the lack of of the moral or values based resolve that has allowed Russia to behave has it has over the last 30 years.
Trumphuk’s decision to withhold intelligence from Ukraine is a horrific sabotage of its defense against Russia’s aggression and will have huge implications for US future standing in the world. Vindman correctly calls out the so-called “realist” notions of foreign policy which in essence are devoid of larger concepts and values. Having been a professor teaching international relations and an analyst dealing with national security issues for several decades I believe the US must pursue national security from a much broader perspective than the simplistic myopic lens of “national interest”. Realism is unrealistic in the complex intertwined world. With Trumphuk taking us down this path we are lost.
Boston docs love Alexander V!
Grateful! Waiting for his book.
Question for Dr. Vindman: how can we best accelerate the us citizens’ realization that trump is pushing Ukraine toward slaughter for his gain.
A French Senator made this speech about Ukraine and Trump https://youtu.be/unSSHfIs3U0?feature=shared and he’s absolutely right. Why is no one in either house of our Congress speaking out like this?
I have been emailing my Senator John Curtis R-UT, who took Mitt Romney’s seat in 2024, almost daily about pushing back against Trump’s pro Putin/Russia position. We need encourage these type of Senators to be their best selves and do the right thing for our long-term geopolitical interests. Below are the main points from his February 25, 2025 reply to me:
I was a member of the 1) Senate Foreign Relations Committee and 2) the Subcommittee on Europe
President Zelensky and the Ukrainian people have stood admirably against an unprovoked invasion.
1) Use seized Russian assets to support paying for Ukraine’s military efforts. I am proud to report that an updated version of that proposal became law in April 2024.
2) Proposed a bill imposing severe secondary sanctions on Russian oil and gas to choke off the main resource fueling Russia’s war economy.
3)I have stood firmly with Ukraine—pushing to eliminate any delays in weapons shipments—and met directly with President Zelensky when he visited Utah in July 2024.
4) I want to see this war end, but it must be done on terms that bring lasting stability and peace. That means ensuring that Vladimir Putin does not walk away with a victory.
5) Any long-term peace must come from strength, not concession.
Justin F. Thulin, MD
I love Alexander Vindman! He’s very good at explaining topics. He isn’t a hateful man even though due to Trump had to leave the government!
Alexander Vindman is so articulate, reasoned and likeable. What a great political leader he could be.