Tucker Carlson's interview with Vladimir Putin hasn't even been released yet and already Western leaders are talking about censuring him for speaking to the Russian president. 

Newsweek is reporting that politicians inside and outside the EU Parliament are arguing that Carlson is aiding and abetting Putin by giving him a platform, and hence Carlson should face sanctions in the same way that other Russian allies of the Kremlin leader do. 

Exclusive: Tucker Carlson could face sanctions over Putin interview https://t.co/J3l0SIzoMX pic.twitter.com/TuBNXH1D4e

— Newsweek (@Newsweek) February 7, 2024

The irony is strong in this one. 

One of Putin's great sins is suppressing all political dissent. That also happens to be one of the privileges he has as an autocrat that appeals the most to European (and many American) leaders. 

If only they could censor their critics. 

Oh, wait. They can!Tucker Carlson's interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin could see the conservative pundit targeted by European Union lawmakers, current and former members of the European Parliament have told Newsweek.

Carlson visited Russia this week, and on Tuesday revealed he would "soon" be releasing an interview with the Russian leader.

Carlson's work in Russia could see the former Fox News host in hot water with the EU, Guy Verhofstadt, a former Belgian Prime Minister and current member of the European Parliament, told Newsweek.

The lawmaker—who has called for the EU to explore imposing a "travel ban" on Carlson—described Carlson as "a mouthpiece" of former President Donald Trump and Putin, adding: "As Putin is a war criminal and the EU sanctions all who assist him in that effort, it seems logical that the External Action Service examine his case as well."

In what universe does this make sense?

We call it WEFworld, I suppose. The transnational elite gets to decide who lives where, who can say what, and who gets debanked or prevented from traveling. 

It's not Putin, though, whom these leaders admire so much; it's Xi Jinping, whose government is massively more competent at silencing dissent and controlling its citizens than Russia could ever be. 

In Russia, opposition to Putin or his cronies gets you thrown in jail or tossed out a window. Those methods are far too 19th and 20th century for Europeans. 

A social credit system is much more their style. 

Luis Garicano, a former MEP, told Newsweek he agreed with Verhofstadt's stance. "He is no longer a newsman, but a propagandist for the most heinous regime on European soil and the one which is most dangerous to our peace and security," Garicano said of Carlson.

The content of Carlson's interview with Putin is not yet clear but, given the pundit's long-time defense of aspects of Russian policy, critics expect it to be sympathetic to Moscow.

As I have said numerous times before, I believe Putin was the aggressor in Ukraine, and in my view the best outcome we can expect is a return to the status quo ante--although it looks more likely than ever that Russia will wind up with more Ukrainian territory than before. 

But Carlson is hardly the only critic of American policy. John Mearsheimer, one of the most eminent scholars of International Politics, believes that Russia is following a rational policy and that the West dragged him into the war. I am skeptical of this analysis, but Mearsheimer is no idiot. I was reading his work in graduate school as I schooled myself on strategic studies. It is at the least a respectable position to hold. 

I doubt Mearsheimer will be sanctioned by the EU. 

Free countries don't censure people for differing with the regime. Doing so makes you an unfree country--and also a stupid one, as there is no debate and hence no genuine learning. 

That's how you get Lysenkoism, or for that matter "safe and effective" jabs. 

Do I agree with Carlson? Not really. But I am willing to hear him out, or at the very least protect his right to say what he thinks. I'd rather hear his opinion than some functionary in Europe. 

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