What Trump wants and what he feels he has to say in public are now two different things, and this just shows that no apologist of tyranny can politically survive.
Ukraine: The most powerful man in the world
By TruePublica Editor: Forget America’s President Joe Biden, China’s Xi Jinping, Trump, Bezos, Pope Francis, Modi or anyone else. Not even Vladimir Putin is the most powerful person in the world right now.
This man has crashed an entire stock market, crushed a currency, is watched by more people in the world than the Kardashians or Ronaldo, inspired millions to take action and is even seeing tens of thousands of unconnected warriors, many with no experience to take up the cause – some, all the way to their own deaths.
His call has led to global sporting and cultural fixtures being cancelled and ten million square kilometres of airspace restricted. His roar has seen billions of dollars of equipment mobilised from afar, global internet protocols changed and even anti-establishment hackers responding to his demands. The democratic world is mobilising its political elite. Ordinary citizens are organising support protests on the streets of towns and cities all over the world. The United Nations has focused its attention.
Switzerland has been a neutral country since 1515, powers bestowed upon them since the Napoleonic wars. Even it has chosen sides. Its president says it is now very likely his country will enforce politically based financial sanctions. In addition, its president has confirmed that Switzerland is readying itself for those seeking refuge.
For once, the democratic world is united. Even Donald Trump has denounced the actions of a tyrant and is supporting the underdog. Yes, even Trump.
Right now, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine is the world’s most powerful man. He has motivated all the aforementioned and is by far, the underdog. And that’s an understatement. By contrast, Putin is now an international pariah. Russia itself is now the target of global anger and its people will suffer for it.
Like David and Goliath, what we really want to see is Zlelenskyy beat overwhelming odds in the fight of what is right over what is wrong.
Eddie the Eagle, the Jamaican bobsleigh team and Oliver Twist are individual stories of the underdog who gained our collective respect, not for what they said but what they did. Zelenskyy represents all the things, no matter where you are on the political spectrum, that we hope for – fairness, truth and justice. But what he says and what he does puts all the other so-called world leaders in the shade. His rhetoric – not words but donning military fatigues and roaring from the front line – to lead the fight for his country, knowing he will likely die for his people. And we’re all hoping that the dark shadow of his Goliath is somehow extinguished.
On paper, Zalenskyy and the Ukrainian people have almost no chance of beating Putin and his death machine. In practicality, Russia has no chance of winning support from the rest of the world.
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Soon, as the Russian rouble craters, international food transport fails, inflation rockets, interest rates double and the Russian people start to go hungry – Putin and his henchmen will become targets from within. Today, there will be a run on cash at Russian banks. The stock exchange will close. Then the central bank will limit withdrawals and what remains of civil society in Russia will start to deteriorate. Within a short time, life in Russia will be truly unpleasant.
If Ukraine falls, the Western world is there for them. Its people are not ‘refugees’ but they are taking temporary refuge. They will fight back and they want to go home. There will be no peace until Putin is gone. The territory of Ukraine will be like Northern Ireland on super steroids for Putin for however long he remains the bully boy in someone’s else back yard.
Anf if he does stay, terrorism and cyberattacks will become commonplace within Europe, the spectre of a new and nastier cold war will now emerge. The EU will form its own military force, it will be properly funded and Britain will lose its place in the big power-brokers of the 21st century if it does not step up to the plate.
The roar of one man has galvanised a global effort – this is a fight of tyranny versus democracy and we are all in it whether we like it or not.
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