Russian President Vladimir Putin, in an unusual direct appeal to American readers, lashed out Thursday against “alarming” military intervention and said it was “extremely dangerous” for the United States to see itself as an exceptional nation.
Putin wrote an op-ed for The New York Times titled “A Plea for Caution from Russia.” He warned that a military attack on Syria by the U.S. could unleash terrorism, increase violence and further destabilize the Middle East.
“It is alarming that military intervention in internal conflicts in foreign countries has become commonplace for the United States,” Putin wrote. “Is it in America’s long-term interest? I doubt it.”
Former defense secretary and CIA director Leon Panetta tells TODAY’s Savannah Guthrie that the New York Times op-ed piece written by President Vladimir Putin is the Russian leader’s effort to weaken the U.S.
He continued: “Millions around the world increasingly see America not as a model of democracy but as relying solely on brute force, cobbling coalitions together under the slogan ‘you’re either with us or against us.’”
Source: BBC
