GUEST OPINION: Appeasement Won't Work by Allen Crabtree

Appeasement won’t work, Mr. President 

by Allen Crabtree

Neville Chamberlin found out the hard way that trying to appease a tyrant doesn’t work. In 1938 Britain’s Chamberlin “negotiated” an agreement with Hitler at Munich that did not challenge the annexation of parts of Czechoslovakia to Adolf Hitler’s Germany.  On returning to Britain Chamberlin said: “We are resolved that the method of consultation shall be the method adopted to deal with any other questions that may concern our two countries, and we are determined to continue our efforts to remove possible sources of difference…”  

Chamberlain declared that he had secured "peace for our time." Today the prime minister is generally portrayed as a foolish man who was wrong to try to "appease" Hitler—a cautionary tale for any leader silly enough to prefer negotiation to confrontation.  Appeasement did not stop Hitler nor the onslaught of World War II.  The Munich agreement only encouraged him. 

Seizing a portion of Czechoslovakia that is not his as Hitler did was egregious enough.  But Russia’s waging cyber warfare to attack America’s elections in 2016 and being poised to do it again in future elections, is even more egregious because it threatens our entire democracy and way of life.   

The entire US intelligence community, the US Justice Department, and the US House and Senate’s Intelligence Committees have all determined that Russia meddled in America’s elections.  Indictments have been issued naming senior Russian government officials with these crimes.  Trump has dismissed their findings and discredited his own government.  He has been described as “throwing the American intelligence community under the bus!” 

Then when President Donald Trump refuses to confront Putin and Russia on what they have done, and also refuses to warn them if they try to do it again, then that is appeasement!  Trump has had several opportunities to confront Putin, including the Helsinki meeting with Putin yesterday, but has not done so.  Instead, Trump has cozied up to Putin at every opportunity.  Putin flatters him and manipulates him.  

Mr. President - appeasement doesn’t work.  Chamberlain found that out.  Congressmen from both sides of the aisle, senior elected officials and government officials past and present, and experts in international diplomacy, criticize Trump’s words at Helsinki.  Even all four of Maine’s delegation agree! Trump has been called “treasonous” and “very damaging to America’s interests” and America is now in an international crisis of Trump’s making.   

One wonders why Trump continues to do this – what does Putin have on Trump that makes Trump a willing and naïve puppet?   

If Trump were to learn from Chamberlin’s failed attempt at appeasement, or listened to his own advisors, perhaps things would be much different.  Unfortunately, Trump is not a student of history and he has a track record of ignoring the recommendations of his advisors.  Without having been confronted by Trump with the solid evidence on election interference, what is to prevent Putin from doing the same thing in the future?