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We see it right here in the US.
Putin’s invasions of Crimea in 2014 — uncontested by the West — and then of the rest of Ukraine in 2022, are having a profound impact on the world and our nation.
The election of Trump in the US is partly a product of Putin’s invasions.
Whether they know it or not, his supporters are saying, let Putin have that side of the world, we’ll just concentrate on our side. But that is a desire to retreat.
We cannot do that because history has endowed us with the capacity to fight for freedom everywhere. And if we don’t rise to the task we are diminished as a nation and as a people.
Today, Far Right movements in Europe are emboldened by Putin’s actions.
In France, Marine Le Pen, heads one such ultraconservative party and is friendly with Putin. So does Viktor Orban, Hungary’s leader.
Sadly, Donald Trump seems to think that Putin will put aside his brutality to be nice to him. But Putin’s actions suggest he wants to rule the world.
One of Trump’s influencers, the ever present Elon Musk, has also come out in support of Far Right movements in Europe.
Mr Trump has recently made dangerous statements, like wanting to reclaim the Panama Canal and wanting to annex Canada. In the instance of the Canal, he did not rule out using force.
This is the same man who instigated the attack on Capitol Hill on January 6th 2021, which was clearly a power grab.
He hasn’t learned anything since, and yet the…