Provocation upon Provocation, &c.

The Kremlin and the West; a congressman departs; books of the moment; and more

Russian drones, pictured in 2021 (Wikimedia)

There is an abbreviation on social media and elsewhere: “ICYMI”—“In case you missed it.” Did you see this news? “Russian attack on western Ukraine hits an American factory during the U.S.-led push for peace.” In response, the United States did—nothing.

I thought of something that David Pryce-Jones told me, many years ago. Some Googling found that he wrote up the same, in 2009. I will quote him.

In 1935,

a British nurse on secondment to a hospital in Frankfurt was walking home after duty. Uniformed Nazi storm-troopers waylaid her in the street and beat her up. Informing the British government, the British consul, Dr. Max Auwe, spelled out how serious this episode was. The fact that the storm-troopers were in uniform showed that they wished to be identified as acting for the Nazi regime. The Nazis wanted to find out whether the British would react strongly to such a provocation or cave in. When Dr. Auwe insisted on a policy of strength, he was fired from his post. Months later, the British government signed the Anglo-German Naval Treaty that gave Hitler his fleet and became the stepping-stone for the disastrous policy of appeasement. The failure to defend a British nurse who had been deliberately attacked, the Nazis rightly judged, signified that the British were in no frame of mind to defend the national interest, but could be pushed to make huge and devastating concessions.

Yes.

Several days ago, Russia sent drones into Poland. The response of the U.S. president: “It could have been a mistake.” Yaroslav Trofimov, the chief foreign-affairs correspondent of the Wall Street Journal, commented, “Putin’s first military probe of NATO elicited a public shrug from the White House. This all but guarantees escalation by Russia.”

Yes.

In 2019—the last year of his life—I visited Vladimir Bukovsky, the Soviet-era dissident. “Putin will provoke the West again and again,” he said. “What he is doing now, you remember, used to be called ‘brinkmanship.’ He will push things to the limit—to test the strength and resolve of the West.”

Two days ago, President Trump issued a statement about Russia’s assault on Ukraine: “... it is Biden’s and Zelenskyy’s WAR.” To describe this statement as “moral idiocy” is to say the minimum.

Whether Trump is a “Russian asset” in a formal sense, I strongly doubt. That he is an asset to Putin, I have no doubt. It’s obvious.

***

When I saw this news story, I actually said, out loud, “Dammit.” (I was alone at the time.) The story begins,

Texas Republican representative Michael McCaul, a foreign-policy leader who formerly chaired the House Homeland Security and Foreign Affairs committees, announced Sunday that he will not seek reelection in 2026 ...

McCaul has been one of the few—one of the few Republicans who are anti-Putin, pro-Ukraine. Last year, he said, “I think Russian propaganda has made its way into the United States, unfortunately, and it’s infected a good chunk of my party’s base.”

One by one they go—Republicans of that type. Don Bacon, the Nebraskan, is another who is going. The other type remains—always, it seems. In fact, they multiply.

***

Earlier this year, I traveled to Denmark, to report on the radically altered relations between Washington and Copenhagen. President Trump has threatened to seize Greenland with military force. He has provided cover for Putin over and over again. He says, day after day, week after week, that Ukraine started the war with Russia. He puts the onus on Ukraine.

I talked with several right-of-center Danes who had long been pro-American. In stricken tones, they told me that the United States could no longer be trusted, in their opinion. The United States was barely an ally. They would not want to buy weapons systems from the U.S., lest we Americans disabled those systems at critical moments.

For my report, go here.

I thought of these Danes—the Danes I met with—when reading this news last Friday. Denmark has made a major purchasing decision. I will quote Rasmus Jarlov, a Conservative MP who heads the defense committee. He wrote,

Denmark yesterday announced our biggest defence investment ever. We will buy air defence for 8 billion euros, and it will all come from European producers. It has been a strong political desire to buy from reliable and non-threatening partners.

Can you blame them?

***

For the Washington Free Beacon, I reviewed a new biography of Rodney Dangerfield. A very interesting person, Dangerfield—and a big talent, and a steady presence in our popular culture from about 1970 to 2000. There is a lot more I would like to say about Dangerfield. (I would rather call him “Rodney,” actually. I loved him.) But I’ll let you read the review, if you like, and I can say more later here at Onward and Upward. I don’t want to keep you too long. There is so much to read, and our inboxes are deluged.

I feel a little guilty, adding my drops.

***

Yesterday, Bill Kristol asked me to join him on his podcast, and a pleasure it was—though some of our subjects were dark, understandably, because we were discussing the state of our nation. Yet Bill is a happy warrior, and I try to be, and it did my heart good to speak with him. To listen to us—and see us (because podcasts tend to be videotaped these days, don’t they?)—go here.

***

Let me tell you something I put on social media. A few nights ago, a young man of my acquaintance had a question for me. With a look of grave concern, he said, “Jay, do you know a good book a person can read?” I said, “Sure, Manny, what subject do you have in mind?” He said, “Oh, you know: society. Everything that’s going on and what we can do.”

That is a very good question. I thought of Divided We Fall, by David French. Do you have suggestions? If so, I’d love to hear them, either in the comments or by e-mail (mail@jaynordlinger.com). Thank you.

***

I loved the word “quite,” in this correction published by the New York Times:

Because of an editing error, an earlier version of this obituary referred incorrectly to Tony Robbins, the popular self-help speaker. He is quite alive; it is not the case that he died this year.

***

My mother has two great-granddaughters. The littler one started to cry, after winning a game against other family members. Why was she crying? Because the others had lost. She did not know that she herself was supposed to be happy.

On another day, the bigger one, having gotten up bright and early, as usual, said, “Do you know why I get up so early? Because I want to have a looooong day.”

May your days be long and good.