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2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumIt's Official: Hillary Clinton Is Running Against Vladimir Putin
The Republican nominee for president, Donald J. Trump, has chosen this week to unmask himself as a de facto agent of Russian President Vladimir Putin, a KGB-trained dictator who seeks to rebuild the Soviet empire by undermining the free nations of Europe, marginalizing NATO, and ending Americas reign as the worlds sole superpower.
I am not suggesting that Donald Trump is employed by Putinthough his campaign manager, Paul Manafort, was for many years on the payroll of the Putin-backed former president of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych. I am arguing that Trumps understanding of Americas role in the world aligns with Russias geostrategic interests; that his critique of American democracy is in accord with the Kremlins critique of American democracy; and that he shares numerous ideological and dispositional proclivities with Putinfor one thing, an obsession with the sort of strength often associated with dictators. Trump is making it clear that, as president, he would allow Russia to advance its hegemonic interests across Europe and the Middle East. His election would immediately trigger a wave of global instabilitymuch worse than anything we are seeing todaybecause Americas allies understand that Trump would likely dismantle the post-World War II U.S.-created international order. Many of these countries, feeling abandoned, would likely pursue nuclear weapons programs on their own, leading to a nightmare of proliferation.
Trumps sympathy for Putin has not been a secret. Trump said he would get along very well with Putin, and he has pleased Putin by expressing a comprehensive lack of interest in the future of Ukraine, the domination of which is a core Putinist principle. The Trump movement also agrees with Putin that U.S. democracy is fatally flawed. A Trump adviser, Carter Page, recently denouncedto a Moscow audienceAmericas often-hypocritical focus on democratization, inequality, corruption and regime change. Earlier this week, Trumps operatives watered down the Republican Partys national-security platform position on Ukraine, removing a promise to help the Ukrainians receive lethal aid in their battle to remain free of Russian control.
Now, in an interview with Maggie Haberman and David Sanger of The New York Times, Trump has gone much further, suggesting that he and Putin share a disdain for NATO. Fulfilling what might be Putins dearest wish, Trump, in this interview, openly questioned whether the U.S., under his leadership, would keep its commitments to the alliance. According to Haberman and Sanger, Trump even called into question, whether, as president, he would automatically extend the security guarantees that give the 28 members of NATO the assurance that the full force of the United States military has their back. Trump told the Times that, should Russia attack a NATO ally, he would first assess whether those nations have fulfilled their obligations to us. If they have, he said, he would then come to their defense.
I am not suggesting that Donald Trump is employed by Putinthough his campaign manager, Paul Manafort, was for many years on the payroll of the Putin-backed former president of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych. I am arguing that Trumps understanding of Americas role in the world aligns with Russias geostrategic interests; that his critique of American democracy is in accord with the Kremlins critique of American democracy; and that he shares numerous ideological and dispositional proclivities with Putinfor one thing, an obsession with the sort of strength often associated with dictators. Trump is making it clear that, as president, he would allow Russia to advance its hegemonic interests across Europe and the Middle East. His election would immediately trigger a wave of global instabilitymuch worse than anything we are seeing todaybecause Americas allies understand that Trump would likely dismantle the post-World War II U.S.-created international order. Many of these countries, feeling abandoned, would likely pursue nuclear weapons programs on their own, leading to a nightmare of proliferation.
Trumps sympathy for Putin has not been a secret. Trump said he would get along very well with Putin, and he has pleased Putin by expressing a comprehensive lack of interest in the future of Ukraine, the domination of which is a core Putinist principle. The Trump movement also agrees with Putin that U.S. democracy is fatally flawed. A Trump adviser, Carter Page, recently denouncedto a Moscow audienceAmericas often-hypocritical focus on democratization, inequality, corruption and regime change. Earlier this week, Trumps operatives watered down the Republican Partys national-security platform position on Ukraine, removing a promise to help the Ukrainians receive lethal aid in their battle to remain free of Russian control.
Now, in an interview with Maggie Haberman and David Sanger of The New York Times, Trump has gone much further, suggesting that he and Putin share a disdain for NATO. Fulfilling what might be Putins dearest wish, Trump, in this interview, openly questioned whether the U.S., under his leadership, would keep its commitments to the alliance. According to Haberman and Sanger, Trump even called into question, whether, as president, he would automatically extend the security guarantees that give the 28 members of NATO the assurance that the full force of the United States military has their back. Trump told the Times that, should Russia attack a NATO ally, he would first assess whether those nations have fulfilled their obligations to us. If they have, he said, he would then come to their defense.
http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2016/07/clinton-trump-putin-nato/492332/
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It's Official: Hillary Clinton Is Running Against Vladimir Putin (Original Post)
ismnotwasm
Jul 2016
OP
DURHAM D
(32,610 posts)1. And from MSNBC programming for the past day and a half
I can only conclude that she is also running against Ben Jealous, progressive "Purists", and MSNBC. Not in that order.
Interesting, isn't it?
RonniePudding
(889 posts)5. Give it time
If it gets mentioned in any one of the prime time speeches (it had better be mentioned) it would be covered. It should also come up in the first debate, and in that case it would also be covered.
MohRokTah
(15,429 posts)8. I wouldn't be surprised if we start seeing "advertising" from...
Russian firms showing up on MSRNC soon.
Grey Lemercier
(1,429 posts)11. lol at the Putin Trump sig line
tallahasseedem
(6,716 posts)10. It's pushing me over the edge!
Add Nina Turner to that list.
ismnotwasm
(41,989 posts)3. Kick for visibility
joeybee12
(56,177 posts)4. KNR
Haveadream
(1,630 posts)6. K&R!
The more I learn about how deep Trump's ties are to Putin's regime and the Russian mob, the more sense Donald's bizarre excuses for the man seem to be and his hostility to our European allies.
Thank you for a great article. Everyone needs to read this!
mia
(8,361 posts)7. Don: "When people call you brilliant, it's always good. Especially when the person heads up Russia."