The danger of dealing with Putin

I've spent some time thinking and talking to people about my post of Friday, on Zelenskyy's mugging in the Oval Office. Why would the administration so visibly abandon an ally fighting for its survival?

Here's an argument that you could make.

One geopolitical story that matters this century is the shifting global balance of power as China takes its place on the world stage. The west generally, and the US in particular, want to maintain power even as China assumes more.

If you believe that, then you could argue that the US ought to isolate China and build relationships with China's potential allies and trading partners. China shares a long land border with Russia. Russia is an underdeveloped economy (its GDP is smaller that Italy's), but it would be a good source of raw materials for a surging Chinese economy.

So, you might argue, the US should build a direct and constructive relationship with Russia. Giving Putin a way out of the disastrous war he started, even granting him strategic victories, like keeping territory he illegally seized, could do that. And then, maybe, he wouldn't trade with China.

Trump's sycophancy toward Putin is long-standing and has always seemed to me motivated by a suspect subservience. Certainly Trump doesn't seem to be a strategic thinker. Trump may not make the arguments above. But you might.

Even if you believed that the shifting power dynamic meant the US needed to realign, trusting Putin as a strategic partner is obviously foolish. He does not honor his agreements. His personal power increases as the US and China remain in strategic opposition. He will certainly use each against the other. He will certainly attack more territory, putting the world at greater risk.

Putin's current weakness has put the rest of the world, US included, in a very strong position. Granting him new power by restoring his access to global markets, releasing frozen funds, is foolish.

Paul Krugman's newsletter this morning argues that Europe may rally to save Ukraine without US support. I hope so! And that would mean that US alignment with Russia on its illegal war failed to achieve the arguable strategic objectives I lay out above.

And my fundamental concern – my fury – from Friday survive. Abandoning friends, surrendering honor, is an indelible stain on the nation.