Trump’s Russia Policy After Flynn

Chances are that the approach of the White House to the Kremlin will continue on course. Its objectives are to encourage the Russians to engage even deeper in the Middle East and to disengage at least some in eastern Europe, so the US can scale down its involvement there and shift its strategic weight to contain China. Yet, some observers argue that because of the ouster of General Mike Flynn, President Donald Trump’s Moscow policy will change dramatically. Is the Trump reset with Russia over? Flynn was the policy’s chief architect, so the rapprochement he engineered will be no more. This argument misses some crucial points and, generally, reflects the poverty of America’s expertise on the Kremlin. To grasp Trump’s Moscow policy, we should first understand the cultural context here, and then explain the new administration’s approach to Vladimir Putin.

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