Russian roulette.

There is no doubt in my mind that  Russians interfered with the U.S 2016 elections, but had no effect on the ultimate results, In fact all powerful countries have interfered in other nations elections in one way or another. So why are we focused on collusion rather than democratic interference?

The whole idea of collusion comes from the Democrats who still cannot believe that the ‘shoe-in’ presumptive President Clinton lost the election to a political neophyte. From the first morning after Trump’s election the drum beat about collusion was started. Ever since then we have seen the appointment of a Special Counsel to investigate the Russian interference. Despite the fact that people have been indicted, there still has been no evidence of collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign. Instead what we have seen is a slew of incriminating evidence of bias within the FBI and the so-called ‘deep state’ against Trump.

On July 16, 2018 Trump met with Putin in a summit which is being demonized in many quarters. The Democrats called for the summit to be cancelled because, among other things, it was disclosed by the DOJ that 12 Russians, members of the Russian Intelligence Agency GRU were being indicted for interference in the 2016 elections. These operatives will never see a day in jail. The timing of the DOJ’s statement came just before the summit. Was it another deliberate attempt to sabotage Trump’s meeting?

There is also the continued debate about Trump’s reluctance to openly condemn Putin for the interference while dissing his Western allies. The irony is that while he does not condemn the Russian government, he is actually imposing enormous sanctions on some 700 Russians businessmen and companies. His bluster and language does not reflect his actions, in fact he has been tougher on Russia than his predecessor. As a result this brings me to my thoughts on the Russia/U.S relationship.

It is said that one should keep one’s friends close and one’s enemies closer. I believe that is exactly what Trump is doing in his relationship with North Korea and Russia. Trump was elected in November 2016, but the previous administration was aware of Russian interference and did nothing to stop it. Furthermore, those who criticize the Trump approach to Putin should remember how Obama dealt with the Russians. One there was the stupid ‘reset button’ presented to Russia by Secretary of State Clinton. Two there was the famous off-mic recording of the conversation between President Medvedev and Obama that went like this:

“President Obama: On all these issues, but particularly missile defense, this, this can be solved but it’s important for him to give me space.

President Medvedev: Yeah, I understand. I understand your message about space. Space for you…

President Obama: This is my last election. After my election I have more flexibility.

President Medvedev: I understand. I will transmit this information to Vladimir.”¹⁰

Oddly, Obama on a trip to South Africa gives a speech, a veiled criticism of Trump, and opines about the rise of ‘strongman politics’. In a recent study it was found that lemurs of Malagasy can smell fear. It is not only animals that have these characteristics. Obama’s appeasement policies open the door for autocratic leaders like Putin and Assad to take advantage of the situation with disastrous consequences. The fact is Obama forgets that what is happening is a backlash against his ‘lead from behind policies’.

It is easy to say that Trump missed an opportunity to publicly confront Putin, but we do not know what happened behind closed doors. In fact Trump’s election campaign was one that wanted to negotiate and make deals. Presumably that meant dealing on trade, foreign policies and nuclear proliferation. What is wrong with trying to prevent WWIII? Unfortunately his adversaries would like him to fail because his predecessors failed miserably in those areas. Too often in their attacks, they forget that in the last decade Russia has increased its influence in Syria, Iran, and has attacked Ukraine and annexed Crimea. Where was the outcry about Obama’s appeasement approach to foreign affairs?

I support Trump’s approach to negotiation. Diplomacy, as defined by current adversaries, got us nowhere His attack on so-called allies is a breath of fresh air. His demands for NATO members to pay their fair share and his attack on free trade are long overdue. For too long progressive governments in Europe and Canada have taken advantage of the U.S military might to divert their share of defence budget to social programs, and thus have contributed to the rise of socialism in these countries. The immigration open border policies are causing undue financial burden on many economies, and yet politicians do not see compassion in refugees and illegal immigrants but rather as a source for votes.

Commenting on foreign affairs, always leads me to comment on Canada’s somewhat hypocritical reporting by our media. The issue of Russian interference in U.S elections gets ample coverage, as it affects Trump. However, very little is said about interference in Canada’s elections. Why? Because presumably, the interference by Soros, Tides Foundation etc. tends to, favor the election of Liberals.

If and when the enquiries and assault on the legitimacy of Trump’s election disappear, it will be interesting to see what state the world would be in. The continuous attack on this President is doing nothing to elevate the stature of Democrats. In fact it is destroying the ability of the President to lead. By the same token if Americans and socialist progressives around the world, continuously bombarded by a bias media, would take some time to really get the facts, they would see that Trump is getting things done in a manner that no one would have expected before his election,

Although Trump admitted that he ‘misspoke’ at the Helsinki press conference, I may be proven wrong, but as a strong supporter of ‘chaotic diplomacy I believe that Trump will not condemn Putin, or abate his attacks on the establishment until all allegations of collusion are removed. Even then I do not believe he should stop his attacks on globalism. Too often in the past conservatives around the world have allowed the left to dictate the shape of things to come. It is about time that the U.S. under Trump re-establishes its leadership just like Reagan did. The game of Russian roulette being played by the left will backfire and thank goodness it will be the progressives that will lose.