America’s Abdication
Donald Trump’s ascent to power marks the first time in living memory that the liberal world order no longer has a powerful defender.
Article/Op-Ed in Slate
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Jan. 5, 2017
In his new series for Slate, Yascha Mounk wrote about America’s abdication as leaders of the liberal world order:
Donald Trump’s affinity for Russia has been the one constant throughout his campaign and the transition. He’s said nice things about Mexicans after calling them rapists. He’s said bad things about various GOP leaders within hours of praising them. But his stance on Vladimir Putin never seems to change: He’s “very nice,” “very smart,” and—“unlike what we have in this country”—a “strong leader.”
Trump’s romance with Putin is so striking that observers have understandably been tempted to look for a concrete motive. Perhaps, they suggest, his businesses are being held afloat by loans from Russian banks. Or, they speculate, Trump has been the victim of the longstanding KGB tactic kompromat and is now being blackmailed by the Kremlin.