Trump and Negotiations in Ukraine.

 BBC has an article out today that claims that Ukrainian President Zelensky believes that the war will end “sooner” following Trump’s ascendency to the US presidency.  I believe that is a very real possibility and it is one of the major reasons why I voted for Trump.  It is definitely not a done deal, and the exact nature of the peace settlement has yet to be crafted, but I think that everybody engaged in this stupidity is tired of it, and is looking for some sort of solution.  My guess is that there will be a territorial shift favorable to Moscow, but supportive of Ukrainian sovereignty over the remaining part of present day Ukraine.  Trump will be castigated by his domestic enemies, but respected by his foreign adversaries for his role.  The aspect of the negotiations that interests me most is the effect that they will, or will not, have on the position of Russia in the family of nations going forward.  It is going to be extremely difficult to see through the clouds of ignorance that will color the dialog that emerges, but, while the end of the fighting in Ukraine is important, the future role of Moscow on the international stage is far more important.

We Americans out here in the hustings see the world very simplistically.  We have friends and enemies and we advocate strengthening our friends and weakening our enemies.  That approach to world affairs has been acceptable since humans managed to stand upright on two legs, but it is no longer an intelligent way forward because it inevitably leads to increasingly violent conflict, as humans continue to make technological “advances” in the technology of war.  What we have to get though our thick heads here in this country is that the sign on the bathroom door is not anywhere near as important as an acceptable life for every single person trying to live on this increasingly finite chunk of rock spinning aimlessly in space.  The challenge is made more difficult because too many of us see the parameters of our world fundamentally differently.  Those differences are the danger, unless we find ways to live with them harmoniously.  Trump is far better than Biden, but neither understand the challenge that I am here discussing, and, more importantly, the American people do not.  If I am right, and you and I do not understand what is at stake, how are we going to elect leadership that will guide us intelligently?