It has fostered the fracture of the European Union. Hurtling into some macho love fest with Vlad based on the vague shared aim of smashing ISIS would be calamitous. Brexit plus Le Pen would leave the European Union in tatters. Dispensing with illusions means curtailing impulsiveness and the gut instincts that constitute Trump’s worldview, such as it is. Trump’s approach to Russia is “a travesty” and has “raised more questions about our leadership than at any time since the 1920s,” Nicholas Burns, a Harvard professor, told me.

Source: New York Times January 13, 2017 12:26 UTC