Russia’s treachery against its neighbors, not only against former republics of the USSR but NATO members, continued to surprise and confuse the West. At Putin’s instruction, Russian hackers interfered in the U.S. presidential election.
The appeal of populist authoritarianism strengthened in democracies around the world — in the Philippines, NATO countries, even some quarters of the United States.
China advanced disputed claims to resource-rich territories in North and Southeast Asia, and hardened its challenge to American political, military and economic influence in the region.
Kim Jong-un, the worst of his sociopathic family, consolidated power in North Korea, increased his nuclear arsenal, developed ballistic missiles capable of striking U.S. bases in the Pacific, and could soon possess missiles capable of delivering nuclear warheads to the continental U.S.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member