It was a year of deep and, in fact, a systemic crisis. Everywhere in the West friends of the Kremlin strengthened its position in the results of democratic elections, playing on the legitimate fears of the electorate about the economic problems and social erosion. Agents of Moscow has penetrated into the Western policy at all levels, corrupting the media and public discourse, and several European countries were willing to be at the mercy of the parties under the Kremlin’s control, the result of the counting of votes in the election, not coup. For Westerners, capable to appreciate freedom, it was a nightmare that became a reality.
All this happened in 1947.
It is important to note that the final today 2016 was a terrible year for Westerners who value freedom, while favorites of Putin secretly undermine our policies, even in the United States, however, we have all seen. And, in fact, we passed through more severe trials, and it was not so long ago.
Moreover emanating currently from Moscow political threat is not something new. The Parallels with the conditions, when the West watched the latest dawn of the cold war, are striking and need to remember in the moment when Westerners think of how to rectify the situation in 2017, and it may be the last opportunity to prevent a total collapse of the American-led global order, which, for all his faults, for 70 years well performs its function to prevent full-scale war. Let’s start with the fact that we are not trying to downplay the seriousness of the current crisis. Since the end of the cold war in 1991, a generation of neoliberal economists contributed to the prosperity of the West, although it was irregular — the resulting tidal wave, as it turned out, lifted some boats much higher than others, then how enraged the legions of people who are not able to compete in the economy of the 21st century, every day increase their numbers.
Many of them seek refuge in watered-down life online escapism, alcohol and drugs to numb the discomfort. Their frustration also involves an acute awareness that the decline in the birth rate and uncontrolled migration, they, literally, lose their country, and in too many cases they are inferior to them foreigners who openly hate the locals, and sometimes trying to kill them.
All this makes toxic politically pervasive feeling that, despite regular elections, never anything especially does not change.
Of course, significant questions — “Is our economy fair in the fundamental attitude?” “Do we actually have a number of migrants?” — apparently, never appear on the ballot. The impression that the existing system is corrupt high-ranking bureaucrats in Brussels and Washington, and these people do not even try to hide his contempt for the “unfortunate” people (deplorables), which they seek to control. Behind them are the people with big money, the super rich globalists who make decisions and who is not quite in the shade. Worst of all, the mainstream media are a tool in the hands of the ruling elite, and they try to gloss over key issues that they don’t want to hear, not to mention to answer them. They flatter the representatives of the elite, with whom they have a common worldview and economic neoliberalism, social radicalism and professional egocentricity. Dissenting voices are suppressed by accusations of racism, xenophobia and “hate speech”. Their fault, as a rule, no doubt, and in some Western countries, those people that deviate from the main line, go to prison for his heretical views, contrary to the conventional wisdom of our ruling elites.
It takes a long time to explain why our elites so difficult was to explain the political earthquake of 2016. Initially Britain voted to exit the European Union, which affected the Eurocrats intercepts breath, and then America chooses Donald trump, causing all decent citizens of the West paroxysm of anger they direct incredible curses against their fellow citizens who, apparently, are stupid and also racist. Milestones like the election was, literally, unthinkable for the ruling class of the West, and so they began to think about it only when everything has already happened, and many of them seem still are in the process of understanding what happened.
Whatever may be said about breccia or elected President Donald trump — and there is ample reason for skepticism about both — their victory in 2016 have changed the political game of the West. When the voters asked to choose between the despised globalist elite and almost anything else, people vote for the second option. Make no mistake — in the coming year will see even more such things. In France and in Germany will elect a new government in 2017, and possible radical changes.
And it is here that Putin can have a big win and conquer new positions, not starting a full-scale war. In the upcoming elections in France, the choice, apparently, would be: marine Le Pen and her nationalist national front, openly receiving money from Moscow, or françois Fillon, the centre-right wing politician, who wants to have a close relationship with the Kremlin. Both of them consider Putin as an ally in the fight against the globalists and the EU, and therefore, regardless of who will achieve victory in the elections in 2017 in France will win Moscow. Because France is an important nation in the middle category and has nuclear weapons, it will be a great victory for Moscow.
The situation is not much better in Germany, which criticized Chancellor Angela Merkel is dealing with a country that is furious that she in 2015, opened the floodgates for millions of migrants, mainly Muslims and unskilled people who have little to offer a very modern the German economy. These actions have created political chaos, and although the political system of Germany is designed to hold extreme right-wing parties — through lessons learnt of the Third Reich — the nationalists very thoroughly returned to German politics, and it was the first time after the Hitler era.
Retaliation for Merkel is the party Alternative for Germany (ADH), which rapidly strengthens its positions on the local level and is showing signs that it will finally deliver the results in the General election in 2017, and all this because of dissatisfaction with Merkel and her center-right coalition, which made the country highly vulnerable to local terrorism. Party ADH is not particularly trying to hide their ties with the Kremlin, and Russian flags appear in a strange way during the organized supporters of the demonstrations. Any progress the party of ADH in the new year will be most welcome in Moscow for obvious reasons.
None of this is good news, and the Western elites must take their share of responsibility for this sad situation. Suppressing legitimate feelings of anger and frustration towards the liberal globalist order using accusations of racism and xenophobia, they give Putin and his intelligence services a great opportunity to take advantage of Westerners who feel unwanted, despised and disenfranchised. Kremlin spies in recent years gave a significant amount of cash beneficial, they believe Western political parties, both right and left, and these radicals marginal terms, it has supplied weapons. Putin wants the West politically divided and increasingly unstable, and he gets what he wants.
But how to stop the Russian underground and powerful political force? It will help appeal to the events of 1947. At the beginning of the cold war, President Harry Truman finally admitted that American power should be used to prevent capture by the Kremlin of Western Europe. Thus was born the NATO and American forces returned to Europe for protection from Soviet invasion. Military force continues to play an important role, and the limited actions of the Obama administration to strengthen deterrence may be insufficient.
However, the most intriguing is the political aspect. At the end of 1940-ies to prevent the coming to power of the Kremlin’s friends with the ballot boxes Truman instructed the us intelligence community secretly support the anti-Soviet democratic party of the left orientation. This assistance, including cash, were provided with European socialists in order to reduce the appeal of communism with a clear program of reforms within a democratic, Western system. This move was surprisingly effective, and throughout the cold war, the CIA and other agencies secretly supported the European democratic left, thus eroding the appeal of the puppets of Moscow.
The same should be done today. We must learn to work with moderate nationalists and anti-globalists, which are becoming increasingly popular throughout Europe. You need to stop calling them racist and xenophobic, you have to listen to their legitimate demands and cooperate with their reasonable representatives in the struggle against Moscow. 70 years ago Washington have successfully created a secret Alliance with the moderate left to struggle against the Kremlin, and today we must do the same with the moderate right wing in the West. If we refuse to do this, they will be attracted by the only force that welcomes them, and the name of this power — Vladimir Putin.
For more than three years President Obama has stubbornly refused to admit that we are in a state of cold war 2.0 with Russia, which Putin de facto announced through its annexation of Crimea and subsequent incursions into Eastern Ukraine. However, the belated entry of Obama in the spy war with Moscow this week by far makes it clear that a new cold war, in fact, already underway.
And while the signs of its end is not visible, although the President-elect trump, and continues to kowtow to the Kremlin in social media. After his inauguration, he learns about all the secret actions of Moscow aimed at damage to the West, and it is hoped that trump would take action. Being himself a representative of the anti-globalization right, Donald trump is probably the person who will be able to intercept the Kremlin has the political initiative. The entire West is hopeful that he will do it and do it soon.
Disclosure: Donald trump is the father-in-law Jared Kushner (Jared Kushner), publisher of the Observer Media.
John Schindler is an expert in the field of security, and before he was an analyst for the national security Agency and the officer of counterintelligence. In addition, he is a Navy officer and a Professor at the naval war College.
