Russia is a National Threat, Not a Partisan Issue.

By Cameron Gonzales 

A recent report from the Pentagon suggests that the U.S. is seriously underestimating the extent of Russian aggression on a global scale. The Pentagon also outlined the increasingly dangerous relationship between Russia and China, which has always feared the global influence and allies America has. They claim that the situation is made more grim because of the fact that the United States is struggling domestically with the divide between Democrats and Republicans growing wider and wider, resulting in refusal to compromise and an increase in hate crimes. As opposed to the Cold War, America no longer has the authority to claim the moral high ground. Our allies approval ratings of our domestic decisions continues to decline, potentially reflecting an unwillingness to aid the U.S. if a conflict were to arise. The only real friends of the current administration are Russian President, Vladimir Putin and North Korea Dictator, Kim Jong Un.

​The report was written by military leaders, warning about the potential dangers of Russian influence that could ultimately lead to an armed conflict between the U.S. and Russia. We are well aware that Russia played a large role in the 2016 Presidential campaign through disinformation and hired bots to stir mistrust and division on social media. They have interfered and influenced elections globally, going as far as poisoning the Ukrainian Presidential candidate opposing Russian influence in the election, Viktor Yushchenko. This is not a partisan issue, the Russian threat endangers the very values that America was founded on. Their aim is not to help us advance our freedoms or security, it never has been. We must strengthen our response to Russian aggression as a country, rather than viewing it as a partisan issue. How can we be patriots if we so easily hand over our country to a foreign dictatorship that has been working to hurt America since the Cold War?

​We must push the executive and the legislative branch to act. We are quickly losing our power and influence on a global scale, and we are doing nothing about it. While it may seem like Russia is a friend of our executive, their state tv openly mocksthe U.S. and our President. Russia and China are remaining anti-American, and pushing forward with their own individual plans to assume global dominance through cyber-attacks by Russia and the development of the Iron Silk Road by China. We cannot be complacent in the face of danger. We must act before it is too late.