The Minutiae
It is in the minutiae that we find the flow of history.
It is in the minutiae that we find the flow of history.
I was brushing my teeth, getting ready for bed, when I made the mistake of opening my phone. A deluge of notifications flooded my screen. One headline after another.
“Fight In The White House”
“Zelenskyy Kicked Out Of The White House”
”Minerals Deal Off The Table”
With a few clicks, I was swept up in the chaos and all thoughts of bed vanished. Deciding to get straight to the point, I ignored the clickbait and found the full-length video of the Oval Office… whatever you want to call it. Preparing myself for the worst, I put the kettle on and pressed play.
I sat by the window with my feet on the radiator and tried to digest what I had seen. The whole thing was strange. Part of me was relieved Zelenskyy had not signed the minerals agreement and that he had pushed back against the blatant lies and misinformation Trump and Vance were saying. Another part of me blanched at the now real possibility of the US abandoning Ukraine.
It had started snowing and I watched as sparkling snowflakes drifted through the street lights. My neighborhood was quiet and peaceful. The old buildings looked even more grand with the fresh dusting of snow. My own apartment was at least 250 years old. The owner’s family had only recently reclaimed the building. As it had been confiscated by the government when Georgia was forced into the Soviet Union.
By the time the sun came up a thick blanket of pristine snow covered my neighborhood. The sight gave me a familiar bittersweet feeling. It was beautiful for a moment, but by midday, it would all turn to shit.
The noise of me stomping snow and mud off my boots brought my flatmate to the living room. “Did you see it?” he asked.
“Hi. Good morning. How are you?” I replied. He rolled his eyes and repeated his question. “Yeah, of course, I saw it. What a shit show.”
“Coffee?” he asked. I nodded.
I finished pulling off my winter layers, grabbed a blanket, and sat down at the table. Sasha set a steaming mug in front of me and I wrapped my tingling hands around it.
“Did you go all the way up the mountain?” he asked.
“Yeah, it’s SO beautiful with all of the snow. You should go.”
”I’m from Siberia, I know what snow looks like.” He said without expression.
“Anyway,” I said, “What was that meeting?”
Sasha gave me a pinched smile, “Welcome to the dark side.”
”Do you think it was staged?” I asked. Sasha furrowed his brow. “Do you think they did it on purpose? JD Vance and Trump going after Zelenskky like that? I mean, Macron pushed back, Keir Starmer pushed back. No one went after them. But Zelenskyy put up one challenge and they acted like he insulted their mothers or something?”
“Why would they do that [stage it]?”
“I don’t know. Either Trump realized he wasn’t going to get a peace deal, like he promised, or he decided to go all in on Putin. And this lets him blame Zelenskyy for ruining the negotiations.”
Sasha shrugged.
“What? You watched it, right?” I asked. “What do you think?”
Sasha shrugged again.
“What is Russian media saying about it? Or Telegram, do they think it was staged?” I persisted.
Sasha smirked and shook his head, “Russians do not talk about this. This doesn’t matter. The only thing is that; America is with Russia now.”
Sasha’s stark interpretation took me aback. I wanted to argue with him. I wanted to make the case that Trump is just sensitive and needs to have his ego stroked. I wanted reassurance that if Zelenskyy played nice, Trump wouldn’t abandon Ukraine. But the finality with which Sasha said, ‘America is with Russia,’ left me defeated. He was right, regardless of the cause the outcome is the same. The US is now an unreliable ally.
If the Trump administration is willing to turn on their partners because of a personal offense, why would any other country trust the US. One person’s fragile ego should not dictate the direction of a country or the lives of millions of people. It is rank injustice to its core and antithetical to American values which pose that individuals have the right to determine their future, not a capricious leader.
Every step the Trump administration has taken confirms Sasha’s blunt interpretation: America is with Russia.
For example:
Trump called Zelenskyy a dictator and said Ukraine was responsible for Russia’s invasion.
The Trump administration took the majority of its leverage over Russia off the table before negotiations had started. Secretary Hegseth publicly considered that there would be no NATO membership for Ukraine, no US troops on the ground, and Ukraine should not expect to regain its borders.
The Secretary of Defense ordered Cyber Command to “stand down” from activities directed at Russia.
Trump stopped all aid to Ukraine.
Trump “paused” intelligence sharing with Ukraine.
Republicans are calling for Zelenskyy’s resignation, and Trump has repeated that Ukraine needs to hold elections.
Trump’s administration held secret talks with Zelenskyy’s political rivals.
America is with Russia. I do not mean the US is in an alliance with Russia. There are no true allies among Autocrats. What I mean is; that Trump is living in the Russian paradigm, where might makes right and personal gains trump long-term national interest.
Acting out this world view has created an overlap in Trump and Putin’s rhetoric and actions. Trump wants to be seen as the great deal maker who brought peace and he wants to do it fast. To that end, he has chosen the easy path and sided with Russia in forcing Ukraine to surrender. Instead of taking on the difficult route of forging a lasting peace, seeking justice, and forcing Russia to go back to Russia.
For all of those who saw the full meeting and want to debate where Zelenskyy went wrong. I suspect you, like myself, are trying to hold on to the idea that the US is on the side of freedom, equality, and liberty. Or that Trump is working for the interest of the American people. We should take a lesson from the Russians who are familiar with a political world where up is down, black is white, and values have no meaning.
In this world, there was no mystery or debate. The Russians heard Trump tell Zelenskyy that he, ‘had no cards,’ and understood that Trump does not value what Ukraine represents. He does not value democracy over tyranny or sacrifice over subjugation, in this America is with Russia.
I cringe when I hear commentators say; Zelenskyy should have been nicer, that he should have kept his mouth shut and agreed with everything being said. Or that ‘Zelenskyy shouldn’t have taken the bait’. Why does the President of the United States need to be handled like a temperamental child? Why is anyone “baiting” Zelenskyy? Are tantrums and ‘mean girl’ tactics commonplace in the White House? It is embarrassing that everyone, including Republicans, expect Zelenskyy to behave but know Trump won’t.
When did Americans start catering to the soft-handed sensitivities of entitled rich kids? When did we start confusing the need for attention and adulation with strength? Americans are supposed to support Daniel LaRusso, not vote for Johnny Lawrance. It is embarrassing.
In many regards our domestic politics have failed us; health care, education, mass shootings, and so on. But on the world scale the US has been winning. Thanks to global trade and security alliances, the US has the strongest economy in the world, enjoys a stable currency, and Americans live with little to no risk of external attack.
When Trump turned on Ukraine, he signaled to the world that the US’s allegiance is for sale and that territorial grabs through military conquest are a viable option. In response, countries around the world are increasing their military spending. More concerning, they are also pursuing nuclear armament. With the US’s protection off the table, nuclear weapons are one of the only ways countries can guarantee their territorial integrity. This state of insecurity and instability is going to damage global trade, increase the risk of nuclear accidents or war, and could lead to WWIII.
Speaking of WWIII, for the enlightened thinkers who argue that Trump must pull Russia away from China, in a ‘reverse Nixon’. This is misguided. For one, no matter what Trump offers Russia, Putin will not outright betray China for the US. China has more leverage over Russia than the US does. Plus, the Trump administration will be gone in four years, taking all of its promises with it. President Xi, on the other hand, is forever.
To add to this, though Russia and China ally against the Western order, they are natural competitors. China is already stepping on Russia’s toes and encroaching on Russia’s sphere via infrastructure and aid projects throughout Central Asia and the Caucuses. Despite their line about a ‘no-limit,’ friendship, the cracks are there. Once again, there are no true alliances between autocratic. It would be more pragmatic to continue weakening Russia, to turn Russia into a stone around China’s neck, than it would be to try to pull Russia away from China.
While this strategy might risk the collapse of Russia, and the idea of a failed nuclear state is terrifying, what is the alternative? The US props up a dying authoritarian regime indefinitely? A regime that regularly threatens nuclear war and works to destabilize democratic countries? It is also fair to note that a failed Russia, is just as much of a liability for China as it is for the West, if not more so. While China might try to grab territory from a fracturing Russia, it will have to contend with competing break-away factions on its border, Western interference in the region, and losing an ally on the international stage. China has even more incentive to hold Russia together then the West.
The US would do better to prepare for the collapse of Russia. Rather than expend energy in an attempt to put water back into a bag riddled with the holes of its own making.
More to the point, if you are concerned about a future war with China, why would you risk losing long-standing allies such as Europe, Japan, and South Korea, over Russia? All of whom have territorial and ideological conflicts with Russia, and a vested interest in a Ukrainian victory. Why would you give strategic allies in the Pacific, such as Taiwan, Australia, and the Philippians, reasons to doubt your commitments?
For that matter, consider that a war with China will include the defense of islands and straits. Ukraine, without the use of a navy, pushed the Russian navy away from its coasts, destroyed 26 Russian vessels, and secured a corridor for grain shipments. Who would make a better ally in a naval war? The nation whose fleet was bested by a smaller opponent? Or the nation that used innovation and tech to hold back a larger foe against all odds?
Especially in the face of a war with China, the benefits of strengthening our alliances far outstrip the utility of siding with Moscow.
For those who think the US can go it alone. Good luck. Disengagement has not stopped conflict from coming to US shores before, and thanks to technology our oceans are smaller than ever.
Even if the US manages to be untouched by conflict, the isolationist future is bleak. Say goodbye to being at the cutting edge of research and technology. Say goodbye to advancements in medicine, convenience, and entertainment. But don’t worry, we won’t miss any of that. We will be spending all of our time mining for minerals, harvesting timber, and manufacturing everything American consumers need.
Americans like being the best. Competition and success are a part of the American identity. Taking ourselves off the global stage is to forfeit our position to lesser powers. To resided ourselves to being a middling has-been at the mercy of other nations, too busy making our own clothes to have a say in anything. Let’s not do that.
The Russians have seen through the bullshit; America is with Russia. We can argue over whether Trump is playing 3D chess or just flipping the board, but the outcome remains the same. Trump and Vance stood on the power and authority of the American people and used it to publicly berate an ally. They showed the world that values and solidarity mean nothing and self-aggrandizement is everything. People are dying, but- hey- “This is going to be great television.” America is throwing away its role as a global leader and lining up behind Russia, Iran, North Korea, and China. This will affect American lives. The only question is whether Americans will wake up in time to change course or not.