We are being asked now to believe that the Russians wished to influence a U.S. presidential election. This master stroke of statecraft by Putin was designed, however, to bring to power a man, Donald J. Trump, who has pledged to rebuild the United States militarily and economically. Trump has detailed his intent to build a national missile defense, modernize our strategic arsenal to match that of Russia and China, ensure our ability to dominate the high seas with an expanded and more technologically advanced navy, guarantee our ability to project power with an improved air force, and have an intelligence and cyber capability second to none. How any of this is in the Russian strategic interest is yet to be explained.
By contrast, Hillary Clinton, following the policies of Barack Obama, stated she would, by not building missile defenses—no small strategic matter—continue the policy of vulnerability to Russian, Chinese, and Iranian ballistic missiles; delay the upkeep and modernization of our nuclear weaponry; and, pursue a reduction of our conventional military forces. On traditional strategic grounds, it defies logic that Putin would have preferred Trump to Clinton.
On economic affairs the contrast is even more stark. Trump has called for “complete energy independence” with expanded oil, fracking and natural gas production. Hillary Clinton has opposed each of these on environmental grounds. Russia, whose economy and wealth is based on exporting their vast oil and gas reserves, would very much desire a world where the United States is dependent on world oil markets for their energy requirements. Energy independence is the last policy the Russians would want a U.S. president to pursue. Here again, a Clinton presidency was in the Russian interest.
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