Fox News contributor Charles Krauthammer slammed President Obama for his naivety in the face Vladimir Putin's full embrace of zero-sum foreign policy Thursday on Special Report.
The FNC analyst speculated Putin "could not believe his luck" when he came across this "naif" in the White House.
Krauthammer described the gradual erosion of American strength in the region, starting with President Obama's "reset" policy with Russia. From there, President Obama moved to further placate the belligerent Russians by rupturing America's relationship with the Czechs and Poles over missile defense.
In return, Krauthammer noted, Russia has sheltered Edward Snowden, failed to cooperate on Iran, armed Syria, and is now threatening to turn Ukraine into a puppet state. All of these actions prove the contention Putin is playing a zero-sum game, Krauthammer said.
Ukraine's fate will ultimately hinge on whether the military sides with the government and attacks the protesters, the FNC panelist observed. To counter the growing unrest, Krauthammer added, President Obama ought to immediately designate any military officer who orders the shooting of civilians as a war criminal for trial before the Hague.
Given Ukraine's status as a European nation that observes the court's authority, the policy could prevent more bloodshed, he said:
CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER: Right. What Obama -- the premise of the whole reset policy was that we are not in competition, and Putin could not believe his luck to come across a naif in the White House who would believed that. Reset was a way of saying we're not in competition, we're going to rupture our relations with the Poles and the Czechs over missile defense, in a way to make you feel calm. The Russians did not cooperate on Iran. They are running Syria. They are arming Syria, thumbing their nose at us with Snowden and now Ukraine, and they are playing a zero-sum game. The fact that no one answers our call in the defense ministry in Kiev is a sign of how weak and irrelevant the U.S. has become. I can assure you that if Putin is on the line the phone is answered, and we aren't helpless right now. There's something that we really can do. This whole civil war is going to hinge on whether the military in Ukraine joins or not on the side of the government. What we ought to do instead of speaking about crossing a line or what do they say, we have options, which is the usual Obama speak as a way of saying nothing, we ought to be very specific. Any general or commander in the Ukrainian army who obeys orders to shoot the people anywhere in the country will be considered a war criminal for trial in the Hague. That would have no effect in Syria or Yemen or Sudan, but it would have effect in Ukraine. It's a European country, and that I think is something that we ought to do -- announce immediately as a way to restrain the hand of the Ukrainian officers who know that their decisions are going to decide whether or not they are going to be war criminals or if they will side with their own people.
Full segment: