When considering Russia’s brutal oligarchy v. China’s fascist capitalism, it’s hard to decide which one is worse. Trump seems to have a bromance with Putin and has long attacked China, but lately he seems to be waffling on both (although the bromance might get him or his administration in trouble). The split personality of his waffling is baffling too because some in his administration are talking about more sanctions against Russia. Moreover, the original tirade against the one-China policy has become a recognition of it. If, after this waffling, will he still keep his campaign promises: Be a friend of Russia and an enemy of China? The former seems in doubt after firing Flynn.

The waffling is strange because up until now Trump seems to checking off items on a list of campaign promises, even if they’re completely crazy, harmful to the country, and insulting to millions of people. Immigration? California farmers, even those who voted for Trump, are wondering where they’ll find the cheap labor needed to harvest their crops. The Muslim ban seems stymied, and his only response so far is to blast the judicial system like any tin-horn dictator would do. And many ICE cases not related to his unconscionable and unconstitutional Muslim ban are still ripping apart families.

Trump is a family man who doesn’t seem to care about any family except his own. He’ll stoop to blasting Nordstrom for daughter Ivanka when she’s in the White House and supposedly not working in her business anymore. He’ll also support Kellyanne Conway who should be brought up on charges for hawking Ivanka’s products. One son-in-law is in the White House (nepotism), while the other wants to buy the Marlins. Maybe Trump will send his family out to harvest the crops for the California farmers. Might be good for them to see what real work entails!

But back to China v. Russia. Which one is more dangerous? I can’t choose—I find the leadership and power structure of both countries despicable. The Chinese have adopted the most polluting, ruthless, and oppressive form of capitalism imaginable. They’re no longer communists but extreme fascist capitalists, willing to silence or murder anyone who goes against China Inc. The Russians can’t make anything worthwhile, but that doesn’t bother the oligarchy. Putin, the mafia don, makes sure that only the anointed (AKA sycophants to the Russian mob boss) get rich and any opposition is killed, from people running against him in their fake democracy to members of the press.

Given this situation, I see nothing to distinguish between the two powers. China and Russia are equally dangerous and are a threat to anyone who loves freedom and respects the rights of the individual. But I never agreed with Trump’s insane desire to have a rapprochement with Putin’s Russia, whereas I did agree that it’s time for the one-China policy to end. I’d applaud recognizing Taiwan as THE China and calling Communist (fascist and capitalist) China something like Evil Dragonland. The latter shouldn’t even be in the UN!

Of course, Putin hopes Trump will give him carte blanche to annex the rest of Ukraine and all those old Soviet republics that snubbed Russia after the empire collapsed because they couldn’t compete anymore. As an old KGB employee, he wants to return to the old ways where the Soviet Union was workers’ hell and not a paradise by any means, so he wants carte blanche from Trump for that too. And Trump seems to hold up Russia as an equal to the US, maybe thinking that he wants to emulate the dictator Putin? He’s certainly working to solidifying the American oligarchy!

I agree that it’s time to stop being nice to authoritarian regimes. Trump talks the talk but doesn’t walk the walk. He might have some Chinese blood in him because he lets business choices trump domestic and foreign policy (pun intended). The seven countries in his Muslim ban are notable because he has no business interests there, not because some of their citizens have launched terrorist attacks in the US—they haven’t. Other countries that have, like Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, don’t have a Muslim ban because the president has business interests there. He and the Chinese leaders in Beijing seem to be cut from the same cloth—business uber alles.

That might explain the bromance with Russia. Does he have business interests there? Some members of his cabinet do—the Secretary of State, for example. They were talking with Russia even back in campaign days. Or maybe Trump thinks that he can have business interests there in the future? He’d better be careful. Putin is a psychotic sociopath who can be patting you on the back with one hand while stabbing you in the back with the other. That attitude defines his domestic and foreign policy too. Does anyone remember who the PM of Russia is? No one does because President Putin is a complete dictator in all but title, so anyone else in government is quite forgettable.

China (not Taiwan) and Russia are both our enemies. We had better not ever forget that in spite of what madman Trump finally decides.

***

Did you know the complete “Detectives Chen and Castilblanco Series” is now available on Smashwords in all ebook formats, and at all its affiliated retailers (Apple, B&N, Kobo, and so forth) and lenders (Overdrive, for example). The first book in the series is on sale at Smashwords until March 1. Of course, the entire series is also available on Amazon in .mobi (Kindle) format.

And so it goes…

 

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 21st, 2017 at 4:00 am and is filed under Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.