ThirdTerm
Severely Conservative
- Feb 24, 2012
- 1,103
- 291
The conclusion of this article misleadingly states that a second Trump term will signal the end of the West because a Trump-imposed deal on Ukraine is in line with the rest of the world that advocates broadly the same position. This conclusion is short-sighted and the West remains as the arbiters of world affairs under President Trump.
First, the Russian economy has been damaged by Western and G7-led sanctions and price caps on its energy exports. But the threat of economic penalties was insufficient to deter Putin in early 2022 from invading Ukraine. And the reality of sanctions are insufficient to compel Putin to abandon the invasion. Structural changes in the world economy mean that Russia continues to trade with China, India and other BRICS countries, as well as Turkey, the Gulf states, Indonesia and others, keeping its war economy going.
Second, these non-Western countries have advocated in one way or another a negotiated end to Russia's war on Ukraine. The West and G7 have advocated the opposite. With perfect moral clarity, they have argued that Russia must be beaten in Ukraine and never rewarded for its aggression. But if Trump returns to the White House, U.S. policy is expected to shift to abandoning Ukraine in favor of a peace deal.
First, the Russian economy has been damaged by Western and G7-led sanctions and price caps on its energy exports. But the threat of economic penalties was insufficient to deter Putin in early 2022 from invading Ukraine. And the reality of sanctions are insufficient to compel Putin to abandon the invasion. Structural changes in the world economy mean that Russia continues to trade with China, India and other BRICS countries, as well as Turkey, the Gulf states, Indonesia and others, keeping its war economy going.
Second, these non-Western countries have advocated in one way or another a negotiated end to Russia's war on Ukraine. The West and G7 have advocated the opposite. With perfect moral clarity, they have argued that Russia must be beaten in Ukraine and never rewarded for its aggression. But if Trump returns to the White House, U.S. policy is expected to shift to abandoning Ukraine in favor of a peace deal.
