Donald Trump's Foreign Policy Plan Would Give Putin Exactly What He Wants

Trump is selling himself to American voters as one of the world’s best negotiators who knows how to begin by asking more than he’ll settle for. We now move Trump to the stage of grand global policy and it appears as if he is conceding before the negotiation even begins to a better negotiator who understands how to frighten even a “strong man” like Trump purports to be. As it now stands, Trump is proposing to give Putin his most sacred dream of U.S. disengagement from NATO and Ukraine without getting anything in return. Quite a negotiating feat.




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Ten Reasons Why Putin Wins Big In Syria While The U.S. Gets Nothing

Putin’s payoff from his Syrian “peace keeping” could be enormous; namely, a breakup of NATO and the European Union and a sell out by the West of Ukraine on the grounds that it is not fulfilling the conditions of the Minsk 2 agreement (as if Russia is). If this happens, Putin has achieved his main goal–the end of Ukraine as a unitary state to demonstrate the risks of attempting to break free from Russia’s “sphere of influence.” The ultimate disgrace is that the West welcomed Putin as a partner in Syria on the basis of his promise to fight ISIS. Instead, Putin bombed the opponents of Assad, inflicting massive civilian casualties on them and contributing to the migration flow into Europe. ISIS did not seem to appear on his target list. For those who know Putin, this was no surprise.

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Russia’s Economic Crisis Threatens Putin’s 2016 Mid-Term Election Schemes

The September 18 Russian parliamentary (Duma) election and the November 8 U.S. elections reinforce the wisdom of Churchill’s famous quip: “Democracy is the worst form of government except for all the others.” Whether the establishment likes it or not, the U.S. primary campaigns have laid bare tectonic voter dissatisfaction with the status quo. Presumably, the U.S. political system will respond one way or another, perhaps with the election of an outsider. The Russian Duma elections will take place amidst a deep economic crisis according to election rules specifically designed to blunt and conceal voter disaffection. The Putin regime incurs risks with this strategy: It creates an opportunity for a political force that actually addresses the deep concerns of the people. It is virtually impossible for the cautious Putin to plan for every eventuality.

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Putin Hammers Another Nail In The Coffin Of The Russian Economy

As the Russian economy sinks ever lower, the Kremlin will become even more desperate. The house arrests of those with money will accelerate into a vicious circle, for by robbing those with money, there will be less money to go around, and the economy will sink even further. I guess Putin does not know the tale of the goose that laid the golden eggs. As the Russian economist, Sergey Aleksashenko writes in his February 22 Nota Bene column: If Russian authorities wanted to decisively destroy hope for a turn-around of the economy to a trajectory of growth that would be to publicly demonstrate that property in Russia is not protected by anything.

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Putin Favors Trump or Sanders for President. Here’s Why That Matters to You

Trump and Sanders supporters must understand that their backing of a pie-in-the-sky socialist/pacifist or an entertainer/businessman puts them in the same camp as Russia’s corrupt leader. Vladimir Putin is hoping American voters give him the opportunity to play chess against checkers amateurs as he pulls Europe apart, strengthens unsavory regimes in Iran and Syria, and seeks to restore lost Soviet territory by force.

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In Defense of Wall Street

Pity Wall Street. The democratic party’s presidential candidates have painted a bullseye on its back. Bernie Sanders wants, in effect, to nationalize Wall Street. Hillary Clinton joins in the anti-Wall Street feeding frenzy lest her and her husband’s ties to Goldman Sachs and other institutions become a bigger issue.

Wall Street bankers are widely portrayed as evil parasites, feeding their greed through speculation that serves no good other than to line unsavory pockets, and buying off politicians with campaign contributions and lucrative speaking fees. ``One percent’’ Wall Streeters are said to be getting mega-rich while everyone else suffers.

Republican candidates fear to come to Wall Street’s defense.  Any positive words about Wall Street will end up as a negative sound bite come election time. During the occupy Wall Street riots, I do not recall one political voice speaking up for Wall Street against the tirades of hooligan protesters.

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Note: IBD got my affiliation wrong: Cullen Professor of Economics, University of Houston and Research Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford.