Elephant

So all this investigating President Trump on ties to Russia - largely unavoidable
in a partisan system that thrives on blood sport - needs to be taken with a rain of salt.
Russia isn't Great Britain, but it is changing, and in ways that the rest of the planet
keeps nudging itself to adjust with. Indeed, the election of Donald Trump can be seen
as part and parcel of this phenomena.

It was a strange campaign, and as the election approached, numerous leaders
and foreign news outlets (including Canada) openly endorsed Mrs Clinton. America
could vote for Hillary, it was all good. Except for Russia, which rather liked Donald T.
Well, I live in Canada and didn't really appreciate my government meddling down South
(nor did I like the whole set-up: an obviously exhausted and possibly ill Mrs Clinton, vs
an untried quantity of an even older male candidate. WT actual F). All that aside, Donald
Trump does impress for his grip on sanity; he has taken a beating like no one else, except
for maybe Richard Nixon, who never fully realized what was being done to him.

If America survives the Trump presidency, and I kind of think it will, history will no
doubt take note of the grandiose, tsarist elements within it: not taking his salary, nor his
daughter's, but having family as advisors if not occasional stand-ins.  Having businesses
he owns profit as suppliers. Not to mention policies that advantage business and the rich.
He is pushing the Republican agenda, at a moment when no one else can. And seems well
attuned to actually befriending the current Russian leadership.

We thus arrive at the elephant in the room: post communist Russia. Which is both becoming
more liberal and open to business, and arming dangerously as a county  at the same time. Who
saw that one coming!? 'Smart people over there', as the Prez might say. And they are defending
those huge borders with supersonic planes and the threat of nuclear. Because they will not
tolerate any incursions from their European neighbors. Waddaya want them to do, join NATO?

Yes, Vladimir Putin does seem to want to hang in, despite all his riches. He works seven days a
week, it is said. That can't feel like a party every morning...Because there are extreme challenges
to this new Russia, and the leadership self-selects at this point.

Irony of it all, Britain now finds itself with a nuclear park both modernized and obsolete (with
respect to Russia, anyway). Makes one feel like going off on one's own to rethink it all...

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https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/22/opinion/sunday/donald-trumps-plan-to-save-western-civilization.html