According to the Trump campaign, Joe Biden is senile, and Kamala Harris isn\u2019t smart enough. Of course that\u2019s not true, but if you need more than just common sense to figure it out, here\u2019s the evidence. Yesterday the Biden Administration orchestrated the biggest \u201cprisoner swap\u201d since the end of the Cold War (for those who don\u2019t see the Cold War as \u201ccurrent events\u201d, 1991). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Three American citizens were finally released from Russia custody and returned to American soil. Evan Gerschkovich, is a reporter for the Wall Street Journal <\/em>falsely convicted of espionage. Paul Whelan a former US Marine was convicted of espionage in 2018. And Alsu Kurmasheva, is a journalist for Radio Free Europe<\/em>, who was arrested when she went to Russia to visit her ailing mother.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition, several high profile Russian activists, including Vladimir Kara-Murza were released. Ilya Yashin, Oleg Orlov, Kevin Lik (a dual Russian\/German citizen), Aleksandra Skochilenko, Andrei Pivovarov, Kesnia Fadeyeva, Demuri Vorinin (Russian\/German), Vadim Ostanin and Lilia Chanysheva gained their freedom. Two other German citizens, Patrick Schoebel and German Myozhes were released as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another German citizen, Rico Kreiger, held in Belarus was released as part of the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The \u201cprice\u201d for their freedom was steep. Germany released Vadim Krasikov, a Russian assassin serving a life sentence. Norway released Mikhail Mikushin, a Russian spy. The US released Vladislav Klysuhin an \u201cinside trader\u201d, Vadin Knonschchenok, a Russian spy who tried to steal US electronic components, and Roman Seleznyov, held for credit card fraud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Slovenia released Dultseva and Artyom Dultsev, a married couple with children who were a \u201cdeep cover\u201d spy family (think the TV series The Americans).<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n And Poland released Pablo Gonzalez (Pavel Rubtsov), a dual Spanish\/Russian journalist accused of spying for Russia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sure it reads like the first chapter of\u00a0War and Peace<\/em>.\u00a0\u00a0But the reason that the \u201cswap\u201d was able to happen, is that it became inclusive.\u00a0\u00a0The United States got some of their citizens back (some still remain in Russian custody) and gave up three Russian criminals.\u00a0\u00a0Germany got five back, but gave up an assassin serving a life sentence.\u00a0\u00a0Slovenia and Poland didn\u2019t get a quid-pro-quo return at all, but cooperated with their NATO allies.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n And a number of Russian activists opposed to the Putin regime were freed from the \u201cgulag\u201d. They ended up in Germany, and their voices will soon be heard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The United States, Germany, Slovenia, Poland, Russia, Belarus, and Turkey (the \u201cneutral\u201d hub for the exchange) were all involved in this complex negotiation, that went on for several months maybe even years. (Alexi Navalny, the most famous of Putin’s opponents who died suspiciously in a Russian prison several months ago was originally part of the deal).\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n From the United States\u2019 side, the negotiations were led by the State Department and the White House National Security Council.\u00a0\u00a0But the CIA, and the FBI were also involved.\u00a0\u00a0And all of that coordination, both within the US Government and all of the multi-national interrelations, required more than just the \u201cbureaucrats\u201d to get it done.\u00a0\u00a0It took cooperation and decision making at the highest levels, the \u201cprincipals\u201d; the President and Vice President.\u00a0\u00a0And it took leaders willing to take the risk that it all might fall apart, and willing to take the heat \u2013 some US citizens remain in Russian custody. (Six total, including Mark Fogel, a school teacher for the US Embassy in Moscow). <\/p>\n\n\n\n It took a President of the United States with the relationship to get on the phone with the Chancellor of Germany and persuade him to give up a cold-blooded assassin.\u00a0\u00a0It took a leader of NATO who could go to the leaders of Poland, Norway\u00a0\u00a0and Turkey and ask \u201ca favor\u201d.\u00a0And,\u00a0it took a world leader, regardless of his age, to get this done.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Joe Biden is no longer running for President.\u00a0 But\u00a0in the hours before he made that fateful decision public, he wasn\u2019t ruminating over his choice.\u00a0\u00a0He was on the phone, finalizing part of this incredibly complex negotiation.\u00a0\u00a0The United States is in good hands for the next six months.\u00a0\u00a0And, we hope, that Vice President Kamala Harris will continue his world leadership for the next four years.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Price<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
World Leadership<\/h3>\n\n\n\n