Xiidra. Not today, dry eye.
MARK: WELCOME BACK.
ONE OF GREAT MINDS IN
AMERICA.
VICTOR DAVIS HANSON.
HOOVER INSTITUTION SENIOR
FELLOW, AUTHOR OF A RECENT
BOOK, THE DYING CITIZEN.
I WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT WHAT
YOU SEE GOING ON IN THE WORLD.
YOU SEE RUSSIA HAS INVITED
INVADED OKAY, UKRAINE OKAY,.
YOU HAVE AN ANCIENT
HISTORICAL KNOWLEDGE.
WHAT IS PUTIN GOING TO DO.
IF WE RAMP UP OUR SUPPORT
UKRAINIANS, WOULD RUSSIA
KEEP BOMBING STAYS. BOMB CITY.
>> I THINK HE HAS A SECOND
STRATEGY, IF YOU CAN’T TAKE
THE COUNTRY, HE WILL TAKE
MAYBE FROM KYIV AND LINE
FROM BLACK SEA TO BELARUS
AND EVERYTHING TO THE EAST.
THAT MEANS HE WILL CREATE
HIS OWN DESOLATE BORDER
LANDS.
IN HIS MIND, HE HAS TO
JUSTIFY TO THE RUSSIAN
PEOPLE, WHY 15 TO 20
THOUSAND OF THEIR YOUNG
PEOPLE HAVE BEEN KILLED.
I THINK HE WILL SAY I
DESTROYED UKRAINE FOR 30
YEARS, THEY WILL HAVE NO
MILITARY, NO ABILITY TO HAVE
A NATION, THIS WILL SEND A
SIGNAL.
THAT IS A STRATEGY.
NOT TO TAKE OVER THE
COUNTRY, HE DOES NOT HAVE
THE ABILITY TO DEFEAT
UKRAINIAN FORCES, OCCUPY THE
COUNTRY, PUT A PUPPET
GOVERNMENT IN.
HE CAN’T DO THAT, HE WILL
DESTROY IT.
THAT IS WHERE WE ARE.
MARK: IN UKRAINE HE PROBABLY
CREATED A NUMBER OF
COMMUNITIES, MAYBE MILLIONS
OF PEOPLE NOW, WHO HATE HIM.
WHO WANT REVENGE.
WHO WILL FIGHT BACK FOR THE
TERRITORIES.
RUSSIA WILL HAVE TO CONTEND
WITH THAT IN THE FUTURE, NO?
>> ABSOLUTELY, WE WERE
REMISS IN OCTOBER WHEN HE
MASSED TROOPS IN THE BORDER
WE COULD HAVE BEEN FLOODING
UKRAINE WITH STINGERS, AND
JAVELINS, WE DON DO WE
DIDN’T DO THAT.
NOW.
IF HE GOES TO KYIV IT WILL
LOOK LIKE LENINGRAD IN 1941
TO 44 OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT
OR RUSSIAN SIEGE OF BERLIN.
IT WILL BE MESSY, HE WILL
NOT LIKE IT THEY WILL KEEP
FIGHTING.
WE ARE IN A QUANDRY, WE WANT
UKRAINE TO SURVIVE, WE
SUGGEST IF THEY NEGOTIATE,
PUTIN WILL SEE THEY ARE
NEGOTIATING FROM A POSITION
OF WEAKNESS.
THE ONLY WAY THAT THEY WILL
SURVIVE, IF THEY CHOOSE
NEGOTIATIONS IS TO HAVE SOME
TYPE OF LEVERAGE AT THE
NEGOTIATING THAT MEANS
DEFEATING AND KILLING
RUSSIANS, WHICH MEANS MORE
DEVASTATION FOR EVERYONE.
MARK: RUSSIA HAS A FAIRLY
SMALL ECONOMY.
IT HAS VERY POWERFUL NUCLEAR
WEAPONS, YOU HAVE TO WONDER
HOW LONG THEY CAN KEEP UP
WITH THIS,.
THE NEXT QUESTION, IS
COMMUNIST CHINA AND XI,
OPENLY AN ALLY OF RUSSIA.
HE LOOKS AT THIS, HE LOOKS
AT TAIWAN.
WHAT DO YOU THINK HE IS
THINKING?
>> I THINK HE IS TROUBLED.
I THINK WHEN THE INVASION
STARTED HIGH GREEN LIGHTED
IT -- HE GREEN LIGHTED IT,
THOUGHT WE’LL COVER YOU INTO
COMMERCIAL OR FINANCIAL
OPPORTUNITIES, EVEN IF YOU
ARE SANCTIONED BY THE WEST
BECAUSE YOU WILL TAKE OVER
UKRAINE QUICKLY, WE NEED
YOUR MINERALS AND NATURAL
RESOURCES.
YOU ARE DESPERATE SO YOU
WILL SELL IT TO US AS A
DISCOUNT AND WE’LL CHARGE
YOU A LOT TO KEEP UP YOUR
COME-- COMMERCIAL AND GLOBAL
ROLE.
THAT IS WHAT HE WAS THINKING
.
NOW I THINK HE THINKS, WOW.
WHAT IF THE TAIWAN FOUGHT
LIKE THE UKRAINIANS, WHAT IS
WORLD SANCTIONS WERE APPLIED
TO US, I THINK HE HAS HIS
FINGER IN THE WIND, TELLING
PUTIN, WE’RE WITH YOU, IF
YOU WIN, BUT IF YOU DON’T,
DON’T COUNT ON US.
IT IS IMPORTANT THAT PUTIN
LOSES.
HE PAYS A PRICE FOR IT, THAT
WILL FELL TELL THE CHINESE,
YOU REALLY DON’T DEPOSIT GO
DOWN THAT ROUTE, BUT SHOULD
HE DESTROY ALL OF EASTERN
UKRAINE AND ANNOUNCE THERE
IS A VICTORY, THEY ARE ALL
LEFT, THEN I AM WORRIED THAT
CHINA COULD SAY WE COULD
CREATE A DEZ DESERT IN
TAIWAN AND CALL IT VICTORY.
MARK: SHOULDN’T WE BE ARMING
UP THE TAIWANESE NOW?
>> YOU ARE RIGHT.
WHERE TAIWAN IS NOW TO WHERE
UKRAINE WAS IN OCTOBER.
WE DON’T HAVE TO ANNOUNCE
IT.
WE SHOULD BE SENDING,
JAVELINS AND STINGERS AND
SAMS IN THE HANDS OF THE
TAIWANESE, THAT CAN START
TRAINING A NATION IN
RESISTANCE TO TELL THE
CHINESE, YOU MAY BE ABLE TO
COME IN MERE, HERE YOU WILL
PAY A TERRIBLE PRICE.
IN THE STREETS OF TAIWAN.
I THINK THAT WOULD BE
SOMETHING THAT WOULD SCARE
THE CHINESE.
>> IN DECEMBER, UKRAINIAN
ASKED BIDEN FOR THESE
HARPOON MISSILES, THEY KNEW
THEY WOULD BE ATTACKED FROM
THE BLACK SEA.
HE WOULDN’T GIVE IT THEM TO
THEM.
>> THAT WAS VERY -- YOU KNOW
THAT WAS NOT REALLY WIDELY
REPORTED.
AT THE TIME.
THAT DID A LOT OF DAMAGE.
IF THEY HAD THOSE MISSILES
THE RUSSIANS WOULD NOT BE
GETTING CLOSE FROM THE BLACK
SEA.
THAT IS MOST VULNERABLE TYPE
OF SEA CRAFT WHEN YOU HAVE
HUNDREDS ON IT.
THAT IS VERY DANGEROUS.
I’M WORRIED ABOUT RIPPLES
THAT ARE COMING OUT OF THIS
UKRAINIAN MESS.
IRAN, I THINK WE HAVE
OVERLOOKED THAT.
THE IDEA WE’RE USING PUTIN,
LIKE JOHN KERRY DID THAT IN
2015, INVITED COMPUTER PUTIN
TO THE MIDDLE EAST.
IF YOU THINK WHAT IS GOING
ON IN IRAN, THIS IS MIND
BOGGLING, CREATING A
SCENARIO WHERE RUSSIA
CONTROLS AIRSPACE OF SYRIA
AND THEY WILL BE NOW MAYBE,
WINK AND NOD TELLING ISRAEL,
THIS COUNTRY IS GOING TO GET
A BOMB, WE’RE DOING THE
NEGOTIATIONS, THEY MAY BE
UNDER OUR NUCLEAR UMBRELLA,
IF YOU HAVE ANY IDEA OF
PRETEMPTING, BE CAREFUL, WE
MAY RETALIATE IN KIND TO
YOU, AND IF HEZBOLLAH SENDS
MISSILES FROM SYRIA WE’RE
NOT GOING TO DISCOURAGE
THEM.
I ADMIRE ZELENSKYY, BUT HE
SAID THAT ISRAELIS DID NOT
ONLY VOTE AGAINST THE
RUSSIA, BUT SANCTIONS THEM,
I THOUGHT, YEAH, THEY
SHOULD.
BUT IF THEY DO, WE CREATED
SAY MESS NOW THAT PUTIN
COULD UNLEASH HEZBOLLAH
MISSILES TO ISRAEL.
AND MAYBE THEY WILL PROTECT
IRAN UNDER THEIR THEIR
NUCLEAR UMBRELLA.
THAT WOULD ENSURE A DISASTER
FOR ISRAEL.