Trump overlooks key facts from America's political history

When Eisenhower was about to hand over his presidential powers, he said, "he really wanted to give the world peace, but was only able to lead it into a dead-end with others."

I bring this up because the issue of "inflated expectations" can also be applied to leaders of global countries. The question is whether these leaders are capable of recognizing the fallacy or ineffectiveness of certain approaches.

There is even a term "cognitive illusion," where false beliefs are accepted as truths. It refers to the fact that people tend to hold on to beliefs that were established once, even when their falsity becomes apparent.

It seems enough time has passed to realize that the approach chosen by Trump's administration to achieve a ceasefire in the Russian-Ukrainian war is ineffective, yet it is still adhered to. The core of this approach involves demonstrating concessions without creating conditions for Russia to demonstrate any concessions in return.

Trump, who in his public statements/posts clearly expresses sympathy, if not loyalty, to autocratic leaders (Putin, Xi), may underestimate the facts of long political history. Autocrats, especially aggressive ones, can make any voluntarist decisions (since they don't have to consult with anyone), even if those decisions are destructive to their own countries; but it is precisely this (lack of objective, independent, alternative advice/opinions) that leads to their eventual downfall. Systems (based on refined, accurate, and balanced factors) always win over adventures.

Therefore, one can hope that alongside the loyal stylistic approach chosen by Trump, actions pushed by the legislative branch of the U.S. (regarding creating conditions within Russia for a move toward peace) will eventually balance the position of the United States.

Source

About the author: Olesya Yakhno, Ukrainian journalist, political scientist

The editorial team does not always share the views expressed by blog authors.