By Taylor Sterling
Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus hosted the second in his Leadership Series with Vance Serchuk this past Friday evening. Serchuk spoke extensively about the war in Ukraine and Russia and its implications for the United States. As a respected national security expert who recently returned from Ukraine, Serchuk shared his observations about what the war means for America’s national security, a conversation that was difficult to comprehend as Americans live with a false sense of security of late. Serchuk serves as Executive Director and Managing Director, KKR Global Institute and Private Equity at Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, as a Board Member at Advanced Navigation, plus prior to joining KKR, he served for six years as the senior national security advisor to Senator Joseph Lieberman (I-Connecticut). Serchuk works on a broad range of international issues, including comprehensive sanctions legislation, the U.S. rebalance to the Asia-Pacific, and the U.S. response to the Arab Spring, traveling to over 60 countries in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America. From January to July 2013, he was a Council on Foreign Relations-Hitachi International Affairs Fellow, based in Japan and a monthly columnist for the Washington Post. His writings have also appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Los Angeles Times. He is a summa cum laude graduate of Princeton University, holds a JD from Yale Law School, and was a Fulbright scholar in the Russian Federation. That is the short version of Serchuk’s background. The bottom line is the information he shared was more of a wake-up call that Putin was not as insane as we believe him to be. Serchuk’s take was that Putin is not getting push-back…yet!
NATO recently approved Sweden as part of the group and word on the street is that more are requesting induction into Club NATO. The Russian military has faced a myriad of challenges amid the conflict, including troubles recruiting and maintaining well-trained, disciplined troops. Military analysts have noted that Putin’s troops lack motivation, and questions about the treatment of troops have been raised after a video emerged online appearing to show soldiers being thrown into a pit for refusing to fight. And so it begins… or should I say…coming to an end. Now don’t me wrong, Putin is a pure narcissist and is guarded 24/7 and behind him are people of like mind so if you think that if we take Putin out the next guy in line will come forward and say let’s hold hands and pray. Far from it. So, what is the answer to this insane genocide. Russia today finds itself at a crossroads. Society, the opposition, and even the authorities understand that the country cannot go on as it has, but no one understands what comes next. The regime does not have much time left—five, maybe 10 more years—but nobody knows how it will end. I obviously do not have the insight of a Serchuk however we are all witness to a replay of the 1940’s and that disturbs me on many levels, especially with the climate of America.
Between weak leadership in the Nation’s Capital and a majority in Albany whose only interest is being re-elected I wonder when New Yorkers and Americans who pay into the system will stop the bleeding between the bail reform, the economy, the illegal immigrants who are still coming in by the thousands daily along with thousands on the terrorist list. What do you well-educated, well-versed tax-paying Americans think? Better question is…do you think? Legacy? This is what you are leaving for your children and grandchildren. All because you belong to a party? I do hope that you all wipe the mirror and look at the face in front of you. YOU are the ones making the decisions….hopefully the right decision before it’s TOO LATE!
