It’s not about ideology, really. It’s about seeing weakness and wanting to exert power.
That’s true. Historians analyzed Trump’s worldview when he first took office. They found he’d long believed something was wrong wiht the post-World War Two order. He couldn’t understand how Germany and Japan thrived after their defeat.
In his view, it didn’t make sense that the US, UK, and soviet Union won the war, yet the Germans and Japanese were doing so well.This evolved into questioning why Europeans lived better than Americans – why their cars were better, such as.
That worldview stuck with him. He also doesn’t understand the European Union. Europeans believe in win-win scenarios and compromise. It’s the core of European politics.
Trump isn’t interested in that. A colleague of mine, an American analyst, made a profound observation. Trump had business success, but failed in casinos.
The problem with casinos is you need to create the illusion that others are winning, in order to win yourself.
This felt like a crimean moment. Trust in the US was built on Europe’s ability to rely on America when it came to Russia.Now, nobody believes that anymore.
When I said “Crimean moment,” I meant Russia’s 2012-2013 decline in popularity and the protests within Russia. Prior to the invasion of Crimea, Putin’s standing had slipped.
