Prompted by a wave of missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian towns and cities which killed 12 and injured dozens over the weekend, President Donald Trump expressed his frustrations with Russia’s president on Truth Social Sunday, saying, “I’ve always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him. He has gone absolutely CRAZY!”
This is an interesting theory. Before we examine it in detail, it is worth pointing out that numerous United States presidents have attempted to believe Putin could be reasoned with. President George W. Bush famously “looked into Putin’s eyes and saw a soul,” while Bill Clinton insisted that Putin could be relied on to stick to their agreements. U.S. presidents prefer (or at least pretend) to believe this, because it prevents them from having to face the reality of who Putin has always been, and what that means for America and the West. But, far more importantly, this belief is also a product of the American psyche, which makes even the most cynical U.S. politicians susceptible to manipulation by those who operate within a different moral framework.
You will not find a bigger fan of the United States than me. Spending time in the U.S. is always a joy—one cannot help but be inspired by the culture of openness, cooperation, and positivity. The story of America is that anything is possible, especially when good people get together to do business, make money, and thrive. While most Americans take these cultural traits as given, the reality is they are rare and are, in no small part, the foundation of America’s success. Americans are widely regarded around the world as extremely friendly, welcoming, proactive, and constructive.
But every coin has two sides. The trade-off of this business-focused, open-minded, good faith, let’s-make-money approach is a consistent failure to contend with the reality that not all cultures and not all people are like this.
