Why Putin Loves Trump
Disclaimer: I’m not a political analyst. My expertise in politics comes from watching a lot of news during the Cold War when I was a kid, studying some politics here and there, and watching human beings interact.
It’s dangerous to assume that Trump is an idiot. In fact, I’d be insulted if that were actually the case. I’m not suggesting that he hasn’t done stupid things; I’m sure that he’s got daddy issues, mommy issues, was picked on as a kid, driving the kind of psychological profile that leads a privileged man to a life of misogyny, possibly even sexual deviancy. But none of that matters- the reality is, Donald Trump is far, far smarter than you think he is.
So why does Putin love Trump? Why does Trump love Putin? It’s a good question, but the reality is, if you strip away all the noise and the bullshit, it isn’t hard to start seeing why.
Trump is an Isolationist
He probably doesn’t truly believe in isolationism, but he certainly talks a lot about isolationist policies. First he demonizes all of the agreements we’ve made. NAFTA. Treaties and assistance to other countries. And after he’s created a bed of hatred for us “taking care of the world”, he’s set the table to talk about us leaving NATO.
Wait, what?
Yes, leaving NATO. But wait, why? It must be because he’s a moron!
Don’t be foolish. He honestly probably doesn’t give two shits about NAFTA or assistance to Japan. What he really cares about is NOT helping NATO. But what is NATO? NATO was created as an alliance of many (not all) Western countries between North America and Europe. The goal was to prevent another World War II. Then, when the Cold War began to hit its stride, the Soviet Union (modern Russia, amongst other nations) formed the Warsaw Pact with eastern-bloc communist countries.
With the USSR no longer an entity, and the fall of “communism” in Europe, the Warsaw pact disappeared. But NATO still exists. And with NATO in existence, with the United States as the primary force behind it, Russia wouldn’t dare attack any NATO member.
What would happen if the US left NATO?
Okay, so here’s where it might sound a bit like conspiracy theory, but I swear I’m only letting myself be led to what I believe to be the most logical conclusion.
Trump wins, withdraws from NATO, Putin expands into Europe.
But wouldn’t the US attack? No, of course not. With no formal treaties in place, there’s no reason for us to do it. And why would we want to? At that point, it would end in nuclear war. Without the US, there is little threat of mutually assured destruction based nuclear retaliation. And if Putin says he’s happy to let Trump have the US, and he gets the rest… Trump is a self-admitted manipulator when it comes to business, and getting to own the country is pretty big business.
Again, I’m not a political analyst. I do understand the power of nuclear detente. The threat of mutually assured destruction is what keeps the larger military nations never really straying closer than the very edge of violence. We are in the most peaceful era in human history right now, because the biggest players are refusing to tangle with one another for fear of destroying it all. If we don’t maintain the lines of cooperation with our allied countries, we risk all of it falling apart.
