{"id":411786,"date":"2022-03-03T06:30:48","date_gmt":"2022-03-03T03:30:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/former-nato-commander-wesley-clark-urges-us-to-reconsider-no-fly-zone\/"},"modified":"2022-03-03T06:30:48","modified_gmt":"2022-03-03T03:30:48","slug":"former-nato-commander-wesley-clark-urges-us-to-reconsider-no-fly-zone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/former-nato-commander-wesley-clark-urges-us-to-reconsider-no-fly-zone\/","title":{"rendered":"#Former NATO commander Wesley Clark urges US to reconsider no-fly zone"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a245a1d58dae\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a245a1d58dae\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/former-nato-commander-wesley-clark-urges-us-to-reconsider-no-fly-zone\/#%E2%80%9CFormer_NATO_commander_Wesley_Clark_urges_US_to_reconsider_no-fly_zone%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;Former NATO commander Wesley Clark urges US to reconsider no-fly zone&#8221;<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CFormer_NATO_commander_Wesley_Clark_urges_US_to_reconsider_no-fly_zone%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;Former NATO commander Wesley Clark urges US to reconsider no-fly zone&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft\">\n<\/aside>\n<p><em>The Post op-ed editor Kelly Jane Torrance spoke to former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Wesley Clark by telephone Wednesday. These are excerpts from their conversations.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Q: What moves could the United States make beyond sanctions right now that would help protect Ukraine?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A: The most important move now is for the president to announce Vladimir Putin is a war criminal. Really. This gives enormous diplomatic leverage and a greater incentive to help the campaign.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q: Does Putin really care if the president or international bodies declare him a war criminal?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A: Firstly, it can rally European support even more strongly \u2014 European governments are all attentive to the concept of war crimes. Secondly, it reinforces Ukraine by supporting President [Volodymyr] Zelensky. And third, if it goes through, it means the end of Putin as a world leader no matter how this turns out. It\u2019s a very powerful move. Putin doesn\u2019t really care about the money. He does care about his reputation \u2014 and so does China.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/end-of-putin-476.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024\" alt=\"Russia's President Vladimir Putin addresses the nation in Moscow, Russia on February 22, 2022.\" class=\"wp-image-21396860\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/end-of-putin-476.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/end-of-putin-476.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/end-of-putin-476.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Wesley Clark urges President Biden to brand Vladimir Putin (above) a war criminal.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Kremlin Press Service\/Handout\/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Q: NATO seems to be wimping out slightly \u2014 they\u2019re saying members, such as Poland, cannot even fly fighter planes to Ukraine through NATO airspace.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-nypost-small-post\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"231\" height=\"347\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/end-of-putin-474.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=231\" alt=\"Retired U.S. Army general Wesley Clark\" class=\"wp-image-21396859\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/end-of-putin-474.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=462 462w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/end-of-putin-474.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=347 346w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/end-of-putin-474.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=231 231w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/end-of-putin-474.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=116 115w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/end-of-putin-474.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 231px) 100vw, 231px\"\/><figcaption>Retired Gen. Wesley Clark is calling for a NATO-imposed no-fly zone over Ukraine, no matter how Russia might respond.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">David Paul Morris\/Bloomberg via Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>A: This is wrongheaded. This is driven by the United States, and I would urge the United States to reconsider this. Russia does not own the borders of Ukraine. They belong to Ukraine. Ukraine is a nation under threat. And under the United Nations Charter, nations have the right to request assistance for self-defense.<\/p>\n<p>How would the Russians know a fighter plane has been transferred using NATO airspace? How do they know it didn\u2019t fly in over the Black Sea? How do they know it didn\u2019t come in over Belarus?\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Look, for 30 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall and the breakup of the Soviet Union, the United States has operated as the world\u2019s superpower. Americans today don\u2019t recall the stresses and difficulties of the Cold War era. As NATO Secretary-<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">General<\/a> Jens Stoltenberg said, this is the new normal. We are not fighting Iraq. We\u2019re not in Afghanistan. We are against another near-peer competitor that has nuclear weapons. We have to learn and understand how to deal with situations like this. This won\u2019t be the last.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q: You advocate a no-fly zone?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A: Absolutely. The airspace belongs to Ukraine. If they ask for help, why can\u2019t we fly airplanes in there? Say, oh, it\u2019s because of the Russians, they might come up and contest it. That\u2019s the Russians\u2019 problem. They\u2019re going to get shot down. Okay, then what? Putin says he\u2019s going to use a nuclear weapon. If we back away from that challenge, if we don\u2019t confront it, this is like a two-pair poker bluff, for incredibly high stakes.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n<p><strong>Get the latest<\/strong> <strong>updates<\/strong> <strong>in the Russia-Ukraine conflict with The Post\u2019s live coverage.<\/strong><\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n<p><strong>Q: Would Putin use a nuclear weapon?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A: If he was losing, I think he might. And if we think there\u2019s a chance a guy would use a nuclear weapon against us, I guess we just need to give up on the concept of extended deterrence. Why would we want to defend Estonia if Putin might want to use a nuclear weapon? Is Estonia worth it? You say it\u2019s NATO, but the cold, hard reality is Putin can move into Estonia and take control before we can make up our mind what to do. Or Taiwan \u2014 what if China says, \u201cYou come into Taiwan again, we\u2019re going to use a nuclear weapon.\u201d The Chinese have a lot of people, they have a lot of nuclear weapons. What if North Korea says, \u201cYou hold another exercise, we\u2019re going to use a nuclear weapon.\u201d Say [to North Korea] \u201cOh, we\u2019re going to obliterate you.\u201d \u201cNo, you\u2019re not going to obliterate us, we can attack the United States \u2014 now.\u201d What if Iran says it? That\u2019s the answer to it. It was easy to be the world\u2019s hyperpower when we were going against Libya, Iraq and Syria. The United States has to recalibrate its understanding, leadership and processes to work in this new area or we will lose the rules-based international system, which we\u2019re proud to have established after World War II and which we established by using the concept of extended deterrence.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/end-of-putin-473.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024\" alt=\"A Zircon cruise missile being launched from a Russian navy's frigate during military drills.\" class=\"wp-image-21396858\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/end-of-putin-473.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/end-of-putin-473.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/end-of-putin-473.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Clark argues Russia poses a world threat with nuclear weapons compared to past enemies.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">ense Ministry said. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Q: Is there something we can do, at least let\u2019s say to degrade Russian capabilities, if they continue to escalate and they continue to kill civilians?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A: We could certainly use cyber. Here\u2019s the problem. Anything you do that has an effect on Russian operations will cross the so-called red line of Mr. Putin. Here\u2019s the thing. Ukraine is the toughest opponent he will face, tougher than, let\u2019s say, Latvia or Estonia or Lithuania. If you can\u2019t find a way to deal with his threats now, you have to find a way to deal with them later. And not only from Putin but from North Korea, Iran and China. Putin\u2019s challenge is a challenge to the US doctrine of extended deterrence. During the Cold War, there were always questions asked: Would the United States really sacrifice and, say, risk New York to defend Hamburg, Germany, from a Russian attack? That was the question. We knew we didn\u2019t have the forces to stop a Russian attack on NATO. But we undergird the credibility of our first-use doctrine by deploying US soldiers and having a range of nuclear options from tactical to theater to then strategic. We essentially got rid of that range of options, which was important to link US commitments to NATO, the US strategic deterrent. Now Putin has found the hole in the US doctrine.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q: With advocating a no-fly zone, it sounds like you think we should be willing to risk a certain amount of escalation.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A: I think we have to. We have to think about our situation and measure what actions we can take against what risks they incur both im<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">media<\/a>te and long-term.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/Ukraine.WarMap-March2-V2-10.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024\" alt=\"A map showcasing where Russia\u2019s military has attacked so far in Ukraine as of March 2, 2022.\" class=\"wp-image-21396903\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/Ukraine.WarMap-March2-V2-10.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1536 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/Ukraine.WarMap-March2-V2-10.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/Ukraine.WarMap-March2-V2-10.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Russian forces have killed more than 2,000 Ukraine civilians so far, with thousands more at risk as cities are besieged. <\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">NY Post Illustration<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/end-of-putin-472.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024\" alt=\"A military officer is passing between Bulgaria's MiG-29 and Spanish Eurofighter EF-2000 Typhoon II aircraft and MiG-29, in Graf Ignatievo, Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022.\" class=\"wp-image-21396857\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/end-of-putin-472.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/end-of-putin-472.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/end-of-putin-472.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Clark encourages the US to occupy Ukraine\u2019s airspace since it\u2019s being invaded.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">AP Photo\/Valentina Petrova<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Q: The ultimate question is: Does the West stand by and watch innocent people slaughtered?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A: I think that\u2019s the conundrum that the administration is facing. What can we do without provoking a red line? And the answer to that is: It doesn\u2019t just depend on us. It depends on Putin. I\u2019d say it\u2019s more than a little unpredictable.\n                        <\/p><\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2022\/03\/02\/former-nato-commander-wesley-clark-urges-us-to-reconsider-no-fly-zone\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Former NATO commander Wesley Clark urges US to reconsider no-fly zone&#8221; The Post op-ed editor Kelly Jane Torrance spoke to former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Wesley Clark by telephone Wednesday. These are excerpts from their conversations. Q: What moves could the United States make beyond sanctions right now that would help protect Ukraine? A: The&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":411787,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/end-of-putin-index.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=1024","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[75516,126314,4973,90602,28340,4356,27926,4975,72633,126128,73234],"class_list":["post-411786","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-estonia","tag-3-2-22","tag-china","tag-cold-war","tag-europe","tag-nato","tag-north-korea","tag-russia","tag-taiwan","tag-ukraine-war","tag-vladimir-putin"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/411786","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=411786"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/411786\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/411787"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=411786"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=411786"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=411786"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}