Many Americans have perceived Trump’s actions as taking place for his own benefit: to help him with his base and the 2020 election. But maybe that isn’t so. Maybe what he’s been doing is just helping his buddy Vladimir who has gained greatly from a political and military standpoint without risking a kopek or a Russian soldier’s life. Those who say that Putin has something he’s holding over Trump’s head may well be right because otherwise Trump’s moves make little sense.
First of all we have the Turkish-Kurd mess. In the fight against ISIS, the Kurds have been our most reliable ally, fighting most of our battles with some help from our Special Forces and Air Force. They have had 11,000 deaths and many more casualties, while our losses have been in double digits at most. The Kurds have received money and weapons from us but they have been our surrogate fighters. So as not to aggravate the Turks, we instructed the Kurds to destroy their defensive positions, bunkers and tunnels so the Turks would not see them as a threat. We told the Kurds that we would stand by them to protect them from Turkish aggression.
Now, because of Erdogan’s phone call to Trump, we have gone back on our promises, betraying the Kurds and making them more vulnerable to the Turkish invasion. Sold them out! But not only do the Turks benefit from this, but the Russians do as well. In fact, they get a big chunk of Syria where the Kurds were located without firing a shot, along with their Syrian allies. And the Kurds are streaming out of this area with nowhere to go, afraid of dying or torture at the hands of the Turks or Syrians. Trump has made Putin the kingpin of the Middle East by withdrawing our troops and disregarding the Kurds.
The Russians have also benefited from the Ukraine debacle. Trump withheld armaments from the Ukrainians including anti-tank missiles that were sorely needed until Zelensky agreed to cooperate with Trump on an investigation of Joe Biden’s son Hunter and the energy company on whose board he had a seat. Ukrainian soldiers’ lives were lost because of Trump’s delaying tactics for aid that Congress had already approved. Obviously, Russian troops and Putin were delighted with the delay in the delivery of military aid by the Americans. Though the action appeared to be a quid pro quo benefiting Trump, Putin also benefited.
Trump’s belittling of NATO has also aided the Russians, particularly in combination with his abandonment of the Kurds. America’s NATO allies must now wonder whether America under Trump will come to their assistance if the Russians threaten or invade them. The Baltic States in particular must be worried that NATO is unreliable with Trump at the American helm.
What hold does Putin have over Trump? Why is Trump constantly acting to benefit Putin and the Russians? People see Trump as the main beneficiary of his actions but it really is Putin. Is Trump actually as ignorant of the military-economic ramifications of his actions as it seems? And when are the Republicans in the Senate going to wake up and realize that Trump is selling out America to the Russians? That used to be called treason!!!
Resurrecting Democracy www.robertlevinebooks.com
Political junkie, Vietnam vet, neurologist- three books on aging and dementia. Book on health care reform in 2009- Shock Therapy for the American Health Care System. Book on the need for a centrist third party- Resurrecting Democracy- A Citizen’s Call for a Centrist Third Party published in 2011. Aging Wisely, published in August 2014 by Rowman and Littlefield. Latest book- The Uninformed Voter published May 2020