U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin stood near Russia in neighboring Poland alongside Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and declared America was intent on seeing the Kremlin “weakened” by its conflict with its other neighbor Ukraine. Suddenly think tanks like the Center for Strategic International Studies and the Brookings Institution became relevant again. The latter routinely hosted roundtables promoting the war as a “transformational moment.”
They want more provocations throughout the globe including in Ukraine because conflict is impulsive to the blob. Every escalating action or statement from high-ranking politicians or diplomats serves as a way to test the waters of consensus for further escalations.
Everyone in Whitaker’s orbit says he’s a likable guy. He has a classic prosecutor’s mentality and he was one of the top scholars at his Alma Mater the University of Iowa where he played football. He started law school during his final season, no easy task considering that this was before athletes had endless academic resources. He’s risen to the top not because he’s an academic blue-blood but because his likability pairs nicely with a sharp assertive demeanor.
Disciples from each faction clashed often during President Trump’s first term and many acolytes of the blob like John Bolton enjoyed a direct ear to the Commander-in-Chief. Underscoring the tension was the resignation of another blob acolyte, Trump’s Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, who quit because he disagreed with withdrawing troops from Syria. When examining President Trump’s second Administration it’s obvious that the warhawks and neocons have been shut out from influencing policy from high-ranking perches. Leaving both Nikki Haley and Mike Pompeo out of the cabinet was the first indication but nothing exemplifies Team Trump’s pivot away from blob influence more than the selection of incoming NATO Ambassador Matthew Whitaker. He’s a newcomer to the international arena, but that’s exactly why he’s in a prime position to defeat the blob en route to helping America avert a broader confrontation with Russia.
The world was set on fire when Putin finally formally recognized two pro-Russian regions of Ukraine increasing tensions with Kiev resulting in Russian boots on the ground. From that point forward, news of a Russian invasion dominated the news cycle, and journalists, celebrities, and politicians alike adopted Ukrainian colors like a trendy sports team (with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as mascot).
The blob demands that everyone behave as irrationally as them, but Whitaker won’t.
What is “the Blob?”
Defining the blob isn’t easy because it’s just as structureless and amorphous as it sounds. But through identifying who the blob is, it becomes clearer how the Ukraine-Russia conflict determines the direction of its power and credibility.
With non-interventionists and prudent but cautious “America First” operators well out of sight in D.C., the Cold War mentality returned.
Whitaker can tackle the Blob
The blob doesn’t lash out against proponents of the America First doctrine because they don’t see the rationality of their argument, they lash out because populist thinking severely limits their power.
There’s something wrong with that per se; after all, Putin is a well-known villain. But this was the opening foreign policy elites needed.
Make no mistake, the blob’s hawkish ideas are predictable and will lead to further war. If you think the notion that America must rid foreign nations of despotic tyrants died out during the Iraq war you’re sorely mistaken. Look no further than a recent Op-Ed from Senator Mitch McConnell in Foreign Affairs as proof of that. In that piece, he disparages the America First Doctrine as a “retreat” from the world stage. He spent much of the article railing against “isolationist conservatives” who believe in the concept of America as a “fortress.” But if you think McConnell himself typed or even dictated those words you’re, again, sorely mistaken. McConnell’s article in Foreign Affairs is just another mirage from the blob meant to affirm their own beliefs.
With the tragedy of a terrorist attack on American soil in New Orleans still fresh, it’s hard to dismiss other flashpoints for violence around the world, which are equally as important. Especially since many of President Trump’s advisers will spend their time competing with the will of the foreign policy establishment to achieve peace but none underscore the prominence of the blob more than the situation in Ukraine which makes Whitaker’s role at NATO crucial. Ukraine created a moment for these dynasty figures and they pounced.
The blob sees many problems in the world but they have few rational solutions that also don’t stir up more problems.
