Time Magazine got it wrong. Donald Trump should not be the Person of the Year. That honor should have gone to Vladimir Putin.
Without firing a shot, the Russian dictator brought America’s democratic process to its knees and installed his fawning puppet as “leader of the free world.”
This bloodless coup is becoming more and more obvious as Trump picks his governing team. By reportedly choosing Rex Tillerson (above with his buddy Putin) as his secretary of state, Trump is signaling he will act in Putin’s interests, regardless of the fallout.
Tillerson, who heads the largest oil company in the world, is Putin’s close friend and business associate. Tillerson can be counted on to go along with Putin’s campaign to rebuild the former Soviet Union. And he will surely use his influence to end US economic sanctions, which blocked his company’s half-trillion-dollar oil deal with Russia.
The Soviet Union used to be the “other” superpower, rivaling the US. But with the Soviets’ economic collapse, China has assumed that role. Apparently, Putin envisages a US-Russia alliance to counter China’s growing power.
Trump’s constant criticism of China – he was on Twitter again this morning with more accusations against the Chinese – leaves no doubt that he is on Putin’s side.
What this new alignment will mean to you and me is impossible to predict. But now that the world’s largest superpower has been outmaneuvered by Putin’s hackers, it’s clear the Russian strong man is in the global driver’s seat. At least for the next four years.
