“The world looks to Vladimir.”
To most Americans, the unanticipated win of Donald Trump of the U.S. presidency was the biggest story in the world. That’s because most folks think the U.S. is the center of the world. It’s not, of course. The world is a really huge place, and even though Trump’s win is, to say the least, pretty remarkable, one factor that played a significant role is that of Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
Putin made clear his admiration for Trump and used his cybernetic snoops to influence the outcome. Putin, a former KGB official back during the time of the Soviet Union, knows that a good spy is worth a brigade of soldiers. If that was all, 2016 would prove a good year for him, but that’s not all.
This year saw the rise of a French nationalist politician, rightist Francois Fillon, after socialist president Francois Hollande announced his intention to not run for reelection. Filllon is a man said to be a Putin supporter. More recently, Turkey joined Russian diplomats to propose a Syrian ceasefire plan after ISIS and Syrian rebels have been pushed back by Russian air and military forces.
Thus, as U.S. power, especially in the Middle East, seems to wane, Russia seems to be on the ascendancy—with friends in America, Trump, France, and Syria among others. This comes as European states seem to be slipping the bonds of the European Union, begun by the notorious British withdrawal called Brexit, a kick at the dark side of globalism and economic austerity measures.
It’s been a good year for Trump, yeah, but it’s been a very good year for the expansion of Russian influence and power and the head of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin.
From imprisoned nation, this is Mumia Abu-Jamal.
