"When Franklin Roosevelt explicitly went on a crusade for the defense of democracy in 1940-1, he disposed of another enormous asset: his stature as by far the most effective and inspiring democratic leader in the world. Alone among elected leaders, he had struggled against the depression with some success and rallied a great nation behind him. When he announced the Four Freedoms in early 1941--freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom from want and freedom from fear--they struck his countrymen and the world as much more than a slogan. The millions of peoples conquered and oppressed by Hitler and the countless millions still unconquered, a world leader told FDR's envoy Harry Hopkins in the last few days of July 1941, “could receive the kind of encouragement and moral strength they needed to resist Hitler from only one source, and that was the United States. . .. .The world infl uence of the President and the Government of the United States was enormous.” It was not Winston Churchill who spoke those words, but Josef Stalin, and he was right."
"...Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin will inevitably win some victories in his very traditional, utterly cynical struggle for power and influence...."
Stalin, and Putin, I say, each, 'utterly cynical'.......
I tend to side with the likes of Kennan, re Germany and Russia.....: Germany, itself, not quite so bad; Russia, itself, not nearly so good, then, or now.
Roosevelt; I doubt his 'huge stature' globally;
additionally, and most unfortunately, Roosevelt and his administration, especially Morgenthau (understandably), were huge Germany haters, and Soviet lovers, as, e.g. Beschloss' book, The Conquerors, and other writings, including even a note in passing in those of Kennan, clearly show, and also imply.
Terms search, also,
re another sad commentary,
eg: Wilson, zigged zagged
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