THE investigation into the alleged interference of the Russian government in the US presidential election is about to knock at the doors of the White House. Key persons in the Trump campaign are sinking deeper into the muddy hole of shame as the lies keep piling up. Special counsel Robert S. Mueller III has filed charges against former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, his business partner Rick Gates, and foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos. Papadopoulos has admitted trying to broker a meeting between the Trump campaign and Russian officials, with the seeming consent of campaign executives.
The Russian government is mum on the issue. It is no secret though that Russian President Vladimir Putin preferred Donald Trump rather than Hillary Clinton, who shared the cold-shoulder approach of the previous administration. While Putin has strengthened his grip on most countries once part of the former USSR, Trump has reinstated the bully image of Uncle Sam that was softened by Nobel Peace Prize winner Barack Obama during his two terms. A good number of world leaders aligned with the US have shown disdain for the shameless display of arrogance and power by the Don.
If indeed the Russians interfered in the US presidential elections, that isn’t a surprise. For instance, New Zealand expelled the Russian ambassador for subsidizing the campaign of the Socialist Unity Party in 1979. More recent is Russia’s support of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, including giving military aid to quell those opposed to his regime.
But we must realize that the United States has been caught many times not just supporting pro-US regimes but also assassinating or attempt to kill known enemies. It has been claimed that the CIA was behind the rise of Ramon Magsaysay. Ferdinand Marcos ruled the Philippines for 20 years with the support of the US. When it became apparent that his usefulness in protecting American interest was waning, they brought him to Hawaii leading to Corazon Aquino’s assent to power.
The US may have become a victim of its own tactics. And look at what it has brought: racial divide, riots, and warmongering. The only thing going for Trump is that the US economy seems healthy at the moment, thanks partly to the robust sale of arms and war equipment as the threats of terrorism, ISIS and North Korea continue to hug international headlines.
From the looks of it, there are only two possibilities for the presidency of Donald Trump: either he will be impeached or he won’t be re-elected. But in the longer term, this episode may bring about another Cold War between the US and Russia. That of course is the least worry for China as it pursues its own agenda of becoming the superpower that the United States once was.