Political shifts in Washington
Mark Cary, a United States member, reports that the Republican Party now supports the empire the US fought to defeat. He alleges Donald Trump, who has deep ties to the dark underbelly of Russia, selected pro-Russian politicians for cabinet positions. Trump previously stated he trusts the FSB more than his own intelligence services and promised to end the war in 24 hours. His sons brag about the financing they receive from Russian oligarchs. Because Trump maintains a transactional view of policy, Cary argues he sees no problem leaving Ukraine to fend for itself while it relies on a disorganized and unprepared Europe to provide for its defense. Cary says the administration sacrifices Ukraine for cynical political expediency.
Trump expresses hatred for President Volodymyr Zelensky and has a history of deference to Vladimir Putin. Cary describes Trump as a "malignant narcissist with no values" who is grasping at straws to deflect blame for his decisions. This political shift follows a period where the US assumed the position of the world’s only superpower after the Cold War. In 1999, a dictatorship in the fascist, imperial mold returned to Russia. Cary also notes Trump’s 1987 trip to Moscow, where he suspects the former president was compromised by the KGB. The current administration’s move toward Russia contradicts the era when Reagan’s buildup challenged the Soviet Union’s ability to compete, despite the economic strain created by decades of military expenditures. Glasnost and Perestroika also backfired when the people got a taste of what they could have.
Public support in the US
Demonstrators in downtown Chicago, Illinois, rallied on March 2, 2025, to show support for Ukraine. These protesters used posters and comments stating, "In the war between Russia and Ukraine, the United States is first to surrender, but Americans still stand with Ukraine." This sentiment exposes a divide between the government and the public. While the government embraces Russia, Cary says many Americans still remember the feeling of watching freedom come to Eastern Europe when the Berlin Wall fell in 1989.
The 1991 dissolution of the Soviet Union followed a murderous crackdown in Lithuania. In December 1991, Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus dissolved the Soviet Union and created 15 new countries. Cary, who studied the history, ideology, and global influence of the Soviet dictatorship in college, views the current US stance as unconscionable. He criticizes a "smug cabal of traitorous and ignorant Americans" who are willing to abandon the principles the country was founded on. Despite the government’s actions, Cary says those who committed to helping Ukraine will not stop their resistance against the creeping fascism of their leaders. Many Americans still hold onto the "peace dividend" feelings from the end of the Cold War.
