Around Russia

Empty hopes

November 8, 2018 Alexander Golts

Intermediate elections in the United States did not bring sensational results. In full accordance with the American tradition, the party received control over the House of Representatives, whose candidate lost two years ago the presidential election. In this case, these are democrats. By the middle of the presidential term, irritation inevitably increases against the new owner of the White House. If the Senate was completely re -elected, then one could confidently say that the Democrats would have won there. But it so happened that it was in those states where the elections to the Senate were now taking place that there was little shone for the democrats. If in these elections, what amazes, it is the degree of fierce of the participants. It is no secret that these intermediate elections were doomed to become a referendum regarding Donald Trump's reign. And they recorded that the United States remains a divided country. People without higher education living in depressed states and regions vote for the policy of the current president who convinces their electorate, that all their troubles are from emigrants and abroad. Educated successful Americans are sharply anti -gramp. The intensity of the confrontation between the first and second resembles the most acute periods of the struggle for civil rights of dark -skinned US citizens or protests against the war in Vietnam. However, the American political system, which has lived for two years with a non -systemic autocrat and populist, will no doubt live (albeit not without loss) and the remaining Trump for two years. Moreover, I am sure that this system will eventually safely overcome another tough crisis.

It is quite obvious that with any outcome of the intermediate elections, the Kremlin had absolutely nothing to catch. Democrats, who inevitably had to establish control over the lower house of Congress, would not allow the topic of Russian interference in the American elections and relations of people from the president’s environment with “representatives of the Russian state”, with Moscow. It is obvious that, anticipating just such a turn of events, literally the next day after the election, Trump fired the prosecutor general Jeff Sehns, who previously defiantly refused to control the activities of the special prosecutor Müller, who conducts the investigation. Extremely tough legal battles are coming in which the president does not need weaklings.

This is immediately, immediately after the election, the State Department announced the upcoming introduction of new sanctions against Moscow, since it did not receive guarantees of non -replacement of chemical weapons from the future (the United States is sure that Russian intelligence officers tried to poison the Skripals in Salisbury). These sanctions may turn out to be completely dragon. American banks may be forbidden to provide loans to the Russian government. A complete ban on mutual trade is also possible, diplomatic relations between the United States and the Russian Federation are limited or frozen. In addition, they may prohibit flights to the United States companies that are controlled by the Government of the Russian Federation. Aeroflot falls under these measures. Trump can soften or postpone these sanctions, but in this case it will inevitably fall under the fire of not only merciless criticism, but also the legislative initiatives of the House of Representatives.

Now let's recall Putin’s performance at the “discussion” forum “Valdai”, the very one where he promised the Russians an unconditional hit in paradise in the event of a nuclear war. Speaking about the hypothetical improvement of Russian-American relations, the chief chief reasoned: “I hope this will pass once, but, apparently, you need to wait for domestic political crises to be settled. This will happen after the elections to Congress or not, I do not know yet, but maybe. Or this will happen in 2020, when the next election of the President of the United States will take place, then he will not need to look around constantly at those who speculates in anti -Russian rhetoric. ” And here, the question arises to the whole growth about who informs Putin. The fact is that the only question on which today there is an obvious consensus between Republicans and Democrats in Congress is a decisive condemnation of Russia. All this was obvious both a week and a month ago. But Putin stubbornly offers to wait until unreasonable Americans solve their domestic political problems. Despite the fact that the attitude to Russia will not change from their solution. If the democrats will argue with the Republicans on this subject, then only about who treats Moscow tougher. The calculations that the anti -Russian campaign will subside by itself - completely empty. In this regard, it is curious what exactly Putin is going to wait for?


Photo: Minneapolis News - November 6, 2018/Zuma/Tass