🕷️ Crawler Inspector

URL Lookup

Direct Parameter Lookup

Raw Queries and Responses

1. Shard Calculation

Query:

Response:

Calculated Shard: 96 (from laksa008)

2. Crawled Status Check

Query:

curl -X POST \
  'http://laksa096.int.ahrefs:8124/' \
  -H 'Content-Type: text/plain' \
  -H 'X-ClickHouse-Database: crawler3' \
  -H 'Authorization: Basic YXBpOg==' \
  -d 'SELECT getAhrefsURLFromUnparsed(src_unparsed) AS found_url, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(download_stamp), 0) AS crawl_time, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(props_url_first_seen), 0) AS first_indexed_time, download_http_code AS http_code, src_unparsed AS src_unparsed, src_root_hash AS src_root_hash, history_drop_reason AS history_drop_reason, meta_title AS meta_title, meta_descriptions AS meta_descriptions, attrs_boilerpipe_text AS attrs_boilerpipe_text, attrs_markdown AS attrs_markdown, attrs_readable_markdown AS attrs_readable_markdown, meta_canonical AS meta_canonical FROM crawler3.page_info_local FINAL PREWHERE (src_root_hash, src_unparsed) IN ((getAhrefsRootHashFromUnparsed(getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://foreignpolicy.com/2025/03/10/trump-putin-russia-asset-spy-security-ukraine-europe-war/\')), getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://foreignpolicy.com/2025/03/10/trump-putin-russia-asset-spy-security-ukraine-europe-war/\'))) FORMAT JSONEachRow'

Response:

{"found_url":"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2025\/03\/10\/trump-putin-russia-asset-spy-security-ukraine-europe-war\/","crawl_time":1776009138,"first_indexed_time":1741640518,"http_code":200,"src_unparsed":"com,foreignpolicy!\/2025\/03\/10\/trump-putin-russia-asset-spy-security-ukraine-europe-war\/ s443","src_root_hash":"6089014433239620496","history_drop_reason":null,"meta_title":"Trump Acts Exactly Like a Russian Asset Would","meta_descriptions":[],"attrs_boilerpipe_text":"Regardless of why, he’s acting exactly like a Russian asset would.\nBy\nEdward Lucas\n, a writer and analyst specializing in European security.\nU.S. President Donald Trump listens during a meeting with energy company CEOs at the White House in Washington on April 3, 2020.\nU.S. President Donald Trump listens during a meeting with energy company CEOs at the White House in Washington on April 3, 2020.\nDoug Mills-Pool\/Getty Images\nMy FP:\nFollow topics and authors to get straight to what you like. Exclusively for FP subscribers.\nSubscribe Now\n|\nLog In\nMarch 10, 2025, 2:56 PM\nA few years ago, it would have looked like mission impossible for even the most capable Russian spy. Divide the United States from its allies? Check. Discredit its normative power (human rights, the rule of law, democracy, altruism)? Check. Weaken U.S. institutions to make further manipulation easier? Check.\nOne could go on. But it’s simpler to try testing the opposite hypothesis. Name one thing that U.S. President Donald Trump has done since taking office that the Kremlin did \nnot\n like. Crickets.\nStories Readers Liked\nGo to slide 1\nGo to slide 2\nGo to slide 3\nGo to slide 4\nGo to slide 5\nGo to slide 6\nGo to slide 7\nGo to slide 8\nGo to slide 9\nGo to slide 10\nAn illustration with a world map background texture and fire cutting through three rings in the map with three human figures inside.\nAn illustration shows semiconductor chips structured like a house of cards with a tiny city with government buildings atop it, ready to topple.\nTwo dozen or so scattered pedestrians walking on a large plaza are seen from overhead. There is a giant world map embedded in the pavement, with China highlighted in a dark red and all the other countries in pale gray.\nA photo illustration shows fractured colored shard revealing images of nation states in decline: an upside down U.S. Capitol building, the EU building in Brussels, broken columns, part of Donald Trump's head, explosions in the Middle East, and a tank in Ukraine.\nAfter the Nation-State\nBy\nMichael Hirsh\nA photo illustration showing six classical Greek or Roman-style columns, plus a stack of televisions as the seventh pillar of populism. The TVs show images of Victor Orban, Narendra Modi, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Donald Trump.\nThe Seven Pillars of Populist Foreign Policy\nBy\nLisel Hintz\n,\nBerk Esen\n,\nTudor Onea\nAn illustration of a tombstone reading \"RIP\" appears in place of a globe on a circular stand.\nCentral American migrant children play on a seesaw at a shelter in Ciudad Juárez, state of Chihuahua, Mexico.\nAn illustration shows two men against a bright yellow background. One man wears a Western-style business suit and the other wears a black robe and white head covering. The men are shaking hands. Each holds a briefcase with money spilling out, the left man's briefcase shaped like the United States' and the right man's like the Arabian Peninsula.\nA man in a coat outside of a glass office building, with high rise buildings under construction in the background.\nChina’s Tech Obsession Is Weighing Down Its Economy\nBy\nScott Kennedy\n,\nScott Rozelle\nPhotos of two men speaking each shown as a negative color inside a red and blue circle.\nIran War\nA police officer stands near a poster featuring the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on March 28 in Tehran, Iran.\nDoes Iran’s Future Look Like Cuba, Syria, or North Korea?\nThe Gulf and Israel are pursuing rival strategies toward Iran, but neither is likely to get what they want.\nMissiles are seen in the skies over Doha on March 3.\nA billboard displaying pictures of nuclear scientists, centrifuges and a sentence reading in Farsi: \" Science is the power\", at the Enqelab square in Tehran, on August 29, 2025.\nThe Albina Bulk carrier sits anchored on March 22, 2026 at Sultan Qaboos Port in Muscat, Oman.","attrs_markdown":"## There appears to be a technical issue with your browser\nThis issue is preventing our website from loading properly. 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All contents (c) 2026, Graham Digital Holding Company. All rights reserved. Foreign Policy, 1099 14th St NW, Suite 500 East, Washington, D.C., 20005.\n\nPowered by [WordPress VIP](https:\/\/wpvip.com\/?utm_source=vip_powered_wpcom&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=VIP%20Footer%20Credit&utm_term=foreignpolicy.com)\n\n[Argument](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/category\/analysis\/argument\/)\n\nAn expert’s point of view on a current event.\n# Comrade Trump\n## Regardless of why, he’s acting exactly like a Russian asset would.\nBy [**Edward Lucas**](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/author\/edward-lucas\/), a writer and analyst specializing in European security.\n\n![U.S. President Donald Trump listens during a meeting with energy company CEOs at the White House in Washington on April 3, 2020.](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/comrade-trump-GettyImages-1216662360.jpg?quality=90)\n\nU.S. President Donald Trump listens during a meeting with energy company CEOs at the White House in Washington on April 3, 2020.\n\nU.S. President Donald Trump listens during a meeting with energy company CEOs at the White House in Washington on April 3, 2020. Doug Mills-Pool\/Getty Images\n\n[My FP:](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/myfp) Follow topics and authors to get straight to what you like. Exclusively for FP subscribers. [Subscribe Now](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2025\/03\/10\/trump-putin-russia-asset-spy-security-ukraine-europe-war\/) \\| [Log In](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2025\/03\/10\/trump-putin-russia-asset-spy-security-ukraine-europe-war\/)\n\n- U.S. Foreign Policy\n- Geopolitics\n- Russia\n\nMarch 10, 2025, 2:56 PM\n\nA few years ago, it would have looked like mission impossible for even the most capable Russian spy. Divide the United States from its allies? Check. Discredit its normative power (human rights, the rule of law, democracy, altruism)? Check. Weaken U.S. institutions to make further manipulation easier? Check.\n\n[Russia’s War in Ukraine](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/projects\/ukraine-russia-war-news-europe-security\/)\n\n[Understanding the conflict four years on.](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/projects\/ukraine-russia-war-news-europe-security\/)\n\n[More on this topic](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/projects\/ukraine-russia-war-news-europe-security\/)\n\nOne could go on. But it’s simpler to try testing the opposite hypothesis. Name one thing that U.S. President Donald Trump has done since taking office that the Kremlin did *not* like. Crickets.\n\nA few years ago, it would have looked like mission impossible for even the most capable Russian spy. Divide the United States from its allies? Check. Discredit its normative power (human rights, the rule of law, democracy, altruism)? Check. Weaken U.S. institutions to make further manipulation easier? Check.\n\n[Russia’s War in Ukraine](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/projects\/ukraine-russia-war-news-europe-security\/)\n\n[Understanding the conflict four years on.](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/projects\/ukraine-russia-war-news-europe-security\/)\n\n[More on this topic](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/projects\/ukraine-russia-war-news-europe-security\/)\n\nOne could go on. But it’s simpler to try testing the opposite hypothesis. Name one thing that U.S. President Donald Trump has done since taking office that the Kremlin did *not* like. Crickets.\n\nTrue, he’s issued a rhetorical warning about potential sanctions against Russia. He’s kept ostentatiously friendly relations with two core allies, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron. But listen to the dismay in London and Paris, and it’s clear that these are mere gestures: symbolic, not practical.\n\nDoes what critics see as Trump’s helter-skelter adoption of Kremlin talking points and to-do lists make the U.S. president a Russian asset—what one might call a Muscovian candidate? I’ve spent four decades dealing with Soviet and then Russian intelligence services, their stunts, and their provocations. I have been interrogated by the KGB (incompetently). I’ve written a book on East-West espionage. I agree that Trump’s past conduct is highly questionable—circumstantial [evidence of Russian mischief](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2024\/10\/30\/enduring-mystery-trump-relationship-russia\/) abounds. He would certainly fail even the most basic check for a security clearance.\n\nThe case for motivation and opportunity are easily made. Two retired Russian spies allege that Trump was compromised on his trip to the Soviet Union in 1987 and given the codename “[Krasnov](https:\/\/uk.news.yahoo.com\/donald-trump-recruited-kgb-codename-180759277.html).” Trump could well have succumbed to the KGB’s trademark cocktail of flattery and blackmail on that trip. Many other Westerners did. I can also believe that Russia [funneled money](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2018\/12\/21\/how-russian-money-helped-save-trumps-business\/) to Trump in the 1990s to keep his near-bankrupt business empire afloat. I agree that he’s surrounded himself with grifters and oddballs who give spy catchers hives.\n\nBut actually running him as an agent? Can you really imagine Trump turning up on time for a clandestine meeting? Remembering where the dead drop is? Filing reports? Using a code book properly? Keeping secrets? Obeying orders? His chaotic, petulant mindset would be a case officer’s nightmare.\n\nThe more likely and simpler explanation is that Trump is just what he seems: a Vladimir Putin fanboy—and wildly greedy to boot. He may be an asset to Russia but is not in the formal sense a Russian asset. He admires the Russian president-for-life’s strongman style and the way his regime allows insiders (and Putin himself) to turn power into wealth.\n\nIn any case, the result is the same. Putin’s hubristic war in Ukraine could have ended in his downfall. But dithering by the Biden administration and other NATO governments turned it into a stalemate. Now Trump has tipped the balance by cutting off aid and intelligence support to Ukraine. That spells not only humiliation for Ukraine but also huge costs and risks for European countries. After a cease-fire, Ukraine could become a giant Bosnia: unstable, resentful, and vulnerable. Attempts to provide defense and deterrence there may prove a bonfire of European credibility.\n\nMore broadly, Trump’s contempt for soft power has turned off the geopolitical equivalent of magnetic north. Since the Atlantic Charter of 1941, American allies have been able to tell themselves that their security policy was not just a bargain born out of self-interest, but part of a righteous cause: resisting and defeating communism, promoting prosperity and freedom. Naive? Perhaps. Flawed? Certainly. But that belief sustained decades of alignment, which in turn fostered tight economic ties and close personal friendships. All of it amplified American power.\n\nNot anymore. In the space of eight weeks, Trump has undone eight decades of work in building American power in the world. Gutting foreign aid, for example, does more than practical damage to humanitarian causes. It removes a central prop of U.S. influence. Team Trump actively disparages the people and political parties running the United States’ closest allies. Instead, they promote their rivals and opponents, from the far-right Alternative for Germany to Nigel Farage’s populist Reform party in the United Kingdom. The result is that lifelong Atlanticists in Europe now talk like Gaullists—the French politicians who have always feared and resisted U.S. influence.\n\nThe supposed rationale for inflicting all this damage is realism. In Trump’s “might is right” worldview, bludgeoning Ukraine is just a tactical ploy to get it to the negotiating table. Weakening Europe makes sense, too—it will be easier for the United States to bully. If the real threat is China, why not try splitting Moscow and Beijing? Allies may whimper, but American voters are fed up with subsidies to foreigners and want problems at home fixed first.\n\n## Read More\n- [![An illustration shows the large face of Vladimir Putin. A red wedge cuts across one of his eyes. Inside the wedge is a walking Donald Trump giving the thumbs up sign.](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/trump-putin-russia-influence-mystery-mark-harris-illustratrion.jpg?w=800&quality=80)](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2024\/10\/30\/enduring-mystery-trump-relationship-russia\/)\n  \n  An illustration shows the large face of Vladimir Putin. A red wedge cuts across one of his eyes. Inside the wedge is a walking Donald Trump giving the thumbs up sign.\n  \n  [The Enduring Mystery of Trump’s Relationship With Russia](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2024\/10\/30\/enduring-mystery-trump-relationship-russia\/)\n  \n  After years of government investigations, we still don’t know if the former president is actually in Putin’s pocket.\n  \n  [Deep Dive](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/category\/deep-dive\/)\n  \n  \\|\n  \n  [Michael Hirsh](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/author\/michael-hirsh\/)\n- [![A woman walks past an advertisement for the Russian army at a bus stop.](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/russia-war-ukraine-GettyImages-2198939735.jpg?w=800&quality=80)](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2025\/03\/10\/trump-putin-russia-war-ukraine-victory-peace-ceasefire\/)\n  \n  A woman walks past an advertisement for the Russian army at a bus stop.\n  \n  [Russia Is Only Winning Inside Trump’s Head](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2025\/03\/10\/trump-putin-russia-war-ukraine-victory-peace-ceasefire\/)\n  \n  As Russians will tell you, the reality on the ground looks very, very different.\n  \n  [Analysis](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/channel\/analysis\/)\n  \n  \\|\n  \n  [Alexey Kovalev](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/author\/alexey-kovalev\/)\n- [![Trump, left, stands next to Putin. Trump appears slightly hunched over with a grimacing expression. Putin smiles and holds papers in his hands.](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/trump-putin-GettyImages-1000209212.jpg?w=800&quality=80)](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2025\/02\/14\/trump-putin-deal-negotiations-russia-ukraine-peace\/)\n  \n  Trump, left, stands next to Putin. Trump appears slightly hunched over with a grimacing expression. Putin smiles and holds papers in his hands.\n  \n  [Jubilation in Moscow Over Trump’s Gifts to Putin](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2025\/02\/14\/trump-putin-deal-negotiations-russia-ukraine-peace\/)\n  \n  To the Kremlin and its supporters, fortune has finally turned Russia’s way.\n  \n  [Analysis](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/channel\/analysis\/)\n  \n  \\|\n  \n  [Alexey Kovalev](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/author\/alexey-kovalev\/)\n\nBut in practice, the policies are surreal. Those far-right leaders in Europe are, guess what, notorious for their anti-Americanism. They have close ties with China, too. Wooing the Kremlin never works. Just ask former U.S. presidents—Bill Clinton, the Bushes, and Barack Obama. Russian leaders pocket concessions and do not deliver. One wonders if the purported author of the *Art of the Deal* has actually read the book published under his name.\n\nRather than speculate fruitlessly about the motivation for Trump’s behavior, the better approach is to measure it accurately and react to it appropriately. Allies tend to forget past storms. Is this era worse than the isolationism of the 1920s and 1930s? Or what followed? The British remember U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt’s ruthless treatment of their beleaguered country before the United States finally entered the war against Adolf Hitler—and the scalding financial humiliations the British suffered during and after it. Is the abandonment of Ukraine really worse than President Dwight Eisenhower’s punishment of the U.K. and France for the Suez expedition in 1956? Is Trump’s cynical bombast over Gaza more revolting than the wars in Indochina? Or President George W. Bush’s disastrous global war on terror?\n\nNor is Trumpism, with its doom-laden, resentful rhetoric, a wholly new phenomenon. The reactionary national-populist strand of American political life dates back decades. Remember the John Birch Society, the Moral Majority, Newt Gingrich, the Tea Party, Sarah Palin? The real story is that the guardrails are down this time, and nobody dares to stand up to Trump’s hucksterism and bullying. In short, Trump’s reign is certainly different and probably worse, but critics should check their history books before declaring U.S.-led alliances dead and buried.\n\nAfter doing that, they should stop complaining and act. Spurred by the security crisis, European leaders have already done more in a month than they normally manage in a decade. It is still too little, too vague, and fearfully late, but the outlines of a new, hard-edged European approach to defense are visible. It brings the U.K. back into Europe, sheds complexes about militarism, busts budget rules to pay for more defense spending, and displays a new and welcome decisiveness.\n\nI suggest that Europeans mark this important shift by showing their gratitude. Put up a big golden statue of Trump in the heart of Brussels, hailing him the founder of a truly united Europe. And put the inscription in Russian—that will annoy him, too.\n\n**This post is part of FP’s ongoing coverage of the Trump administration**.* Follow along [here](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/projects\/trump-presidential-transition-personnel-cabinet-policy-issues\/).*\n\n**Edward Lucas** is a writer and analyst specializing in European security, a former senior editor at the *Economist*, and the author, most recently, of *Spycraft Rebooted: How Technology Is Changing Espionage*. X: [@edwardlucas](http:\/\/www.twitter.com\/edwardlucas)\n\nRead More On  [Alliances](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/tag\/alliances\/) \\| [Donald Trump](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/) \\| [Geopolitics](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/tag\/geopolitics\/) \\| [Russia](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/tag\/russia\/) \\| [U.S. Foreign Policy](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/tag\/u-s-foreign-policy\/) \\| [Vladimir Putin](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/tag\/vladimir-putin\/)\n\n## Join the Conversation\nCommenting is a benefit of a *Foreign Policy* subscription.\n\n[Subscribe Subscribe](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/subscribe)\n\nAlready a subscriber? **[Log In]()**.\n\n[View 0 Comments]()\n\n## Join the Conversation\nJoin the conversation on this and other recent *Foreign Policy* articles when you subscribe now.\n\n[Subscribe Subscribe](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/subscribe)\n\nNot your account? **[Log out]()**\n\n[View 0 Comments]()\n\n## Join the Conversation\nPlease follow our [comment guidelines](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/comment-guidelines), stay on topic, and be civil, courteous, and respectful of others’ beliefs.\n\n[Expand to comment]()\n\n**You are commenting as .**  [Change your username]() \\| [Log out]()\n\n### OTHER SUBSCRIPTION OPTIONS\n#### [Academic Rates](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/subscribe-academic\/?tpcc=hardwall_academic)\n[Specialty rates for students and faculty.](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/subscribe-academic\/?tpcc=hardwall_academic)\n\n#### [Multi-year](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/multi-year\/?tpcc=hardwall_multiyear)\n[Lock in your rates for longer.](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/multi-year\/?tpcc=hardwall_multiyear)\n\n#### [Groups](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/group-subscriptions\/?tpcc=hardwall_groups)\n[Equip your organization with powerful global intelligence.](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/group-subscriptions\/?tpcc=hardwall_groups)\n\n## Stories Readers Liked\n- Go to slide 1\n- Go to slide 2\n- Go to slide 3\n- Go to slide 4\n- Go to slide 5\n- Go to slide 6\n- Go to slide 7\n- Go to slide 8\n- Go to slide 9\n- Go to slide 10\n\n- [![An illustration with a world map background texture and fire cutting through three rings in the map with three human figures inside.](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1-world-after-trump-brian-stauffer-illustration.jpg?w=800&quality=80)](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2026\/03\/23\/post-trump-world-order-cold-war-spheres-of-influence\/?tpcc=recirc_more_from_fp051524)\n  \n  An illustration with a world map background texture and fire cutting through three rings in the map with three human figures inside.\n  \n  [Three Scenarios for a Post-Trump World ![This article has an audio recording](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/themes\/foreign-policy-2017\/assets\/src\/images\/icons\/audio.svg)](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2026\/03\/23\/post-trump-world-order-cold-war-spheres-of-influence\/?tpcc=recirc_more_from_fp051524)\n  \n  By  [Hal Brands](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/author\/hal-brands\/)\n- [![An illustration shows semiconductor chips structured like a house of cards with a tiny city with government buildings atop it, ready to topple.](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1-AI-doomsday-house-of-cards-doug-chayka-illustration.jpg?w=800&quality=80)](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2026\/03\/24\/ai-artificial-intelligence-doomsday-iran-war\/?tpcc=recirc_more_from_fp051524)\n  \n  An illustration shows semiconductor chips structured like a house of cards with a tiny city with government buildings atop it, ready to topple.\n  \n  [As an AI Scholar, I Am Now Putting a High Probability on an AI Doomsday ![This article has an audio recording](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/themes\/foreign-policy-2017\/assets\/src\/images\/icons\/audio.svg)](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2026\/03\/24\/ai-artificial-intelligence-doomsday-iran-war\/?tpcc=recirc_more_from_fp051524)\n  \n  By  [Bhaskar Chakravorti](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/author\/bhaskar-chakravorti\/)\n- [![Two dozen or so scattered pedestrians walking on a large plaza are seen from overhead. There is a giant world map embedded in the pavement, with China highlighted in a dark red and all the other countries in pale gray.](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/china-map-GettyImages-2262840218.jpg?w=800&quality=80)](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2026\/03\/25\/china-us-russia-sphere-influence-geopolitics-competition\/?tpcc=recirc_more_from_fp051524)\n  \n  Two dozen or so scattered pedestrians walking on a large plaza are seen from overhead. There is a giant world map embedded in the pavement, with China highlighted in a dark red and all the other countries in pale gray.\n  \n  [No, China Doesn’t Want Spheres of Influence ![This article has an audio recording](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/themes\/foreign-policy-2017\/assets\/src\/images\/icons\/audio.svg)](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2026\/03\/25\/china-us-russia-sphere-influence-geopolitics-competition\/?tpcc=recirc_more_from_fp051524)\n  \n  By  [Aaron Glasserman](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/author\/aaron-glasserman\/)\n- [![A photo illustration shows fractured colored shard revealing images of nation states in decline: an upside down U.S. Capitol building, the EU building in Brussels, broken columns, part of Donald Trump's head, explosions in the Middle East, and a tank in Ukraine.](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1-doomsday-books-nation-state-illustration-2188671579.jpg?w=800&quality=80)](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2026\/03\/27\/book-review-after-nations-dasgupta-westad-prasad-milanovic\/?tpcc=recirc_more_from_fp051524)\n  \n  A photo illustration shows fractured colored shard revealing images of nation states in decline: an upside down U.S. Capitol building, the EU building in Brussels, broken columns, part of Donald Trump's head, explosions in the Middle East, and a tank in Ukraine.\n  \n  [After the Nation-State](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2026\/03\/27\/book-review-after-nations-dasgupta-westad-prasad-milanovic\/?tpcc=recirc_more_from_fp051524)\n  \n  By  [Michael Hirsh](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/author\/michael-hirsh\/)\n- [![A photo illustration showing six classical Greek or Roman-style columns, plus a stack of televisions as the seventh pillar of populism. The TVs show images of Victor Orban, Narendra Modi, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Donald Trump.](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1-trump-orban-modi-erdogan-Pillars-populism-2026.jpg?w=800&quality=80)](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2026\/02\/19\/trump-erdogan-orban-modi-india-hungary-turkey-populism-corruptionthe-seven-pillars-of-populist-foreign-policy\/?tpcc=recirc_more_from_fp051524)\n  \n  A photo illustration showing six classical Greek or Roman-style columns, plus a stack of televisions as the seventh pillar of populism. The TVs show images of Victor Orban, Narendra Modi, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Donald Trump.\n  \n  [The Seven Pillars of Populist Foreign Policy](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2026\/02\/19\/trump-erdogan-orban-modi-india-hungary-turkey-populism-corruptionthe-seven-pillars-of-populist-foreign-policy\/?tpcc=recirc_more_from_fp051524)\n  \n  By  [Lisel Hintz](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/author\/lisel-hintz\/),  [Berk Esen](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/author\/berk-esen\/),  [Tudor Onea](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/author\/tudor-onea\/)\n- [![An illustration of a tombstone reading \"RIP\" appears in place of a globe on a circular stand.](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/International-order-dead-foreign-policy-illustration.png?w=800&quality=80)](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2026\/02\/09\/liberal-international-order-death-trump-greenland\/?tpcc=recirc_more_from_fp051524)\n  \n  An illustration of a tombstone reading \"RIP\" appears in place of a globe on a circular stand.\n  \n  [Who Killed the Liberal International Order? ![This article has an audio recording](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/themes\/foreign-policy-2017\/assets\/src\/images\/icons\/audio.svg)](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2026\/02\/09\/liberal-international-order-death-trump-greenland\/?tpcc=recirc_more_from_fp051524)\n  \n  By  [Nick Danforth](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/author\/nick-danforth\/)\n- [![Central American migrant children play on a seesaw at a shelter in Ciudad Juárez, state of Chihuahua, Mexico.](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-1231954938.jpg?w=800&quality=80)](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2026\/01\/23\/trump-threats-europe-greenland-balance-power\/?tpcc=recirc_more_from_fp051524)\n  \n  Central American migrant children play on a seesaw at a shelter in Ciudad Juárez, state of Chihuahua, Mexico.\n  \n  [The Balance-of-Power Theory Strikes Again ![This article has an audio recording](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/themes\/foreign-policy-2017\/assets\/src\/images\/icons\/audio.svg)](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2026\/01\/23\/trump-threats-europe-greenland-balance-power\/?tpcc=recirc_more_from_fp051524)\n  \n  By  [Stephen M. Walt](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/author\/stephen-m-walt\/)\n- [![An illustration shows two men against a bright yellow background. One man wears a Western-style business suit and the other wears a black robe and white head covering. The men are shaking hands. Each holds a briefcase with money spilling out, the left man's briefcase shaped like the United States' and the right man's like the Arabian Peninsula.](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1-instrumental-capital-sovereign-wealth-sebastien-thibault.jpg?w=800&quality=80)](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2025\/12\/03\/instrumental-capital-sovereign-wealth-funds-gulf\/?tpcc=recirc_more_from_fp051524)\n  \n  An illustration shows two men against a bright yellow background. One man wears a Western-style business suit and the other wears a black robe and white head covering. The men are shaking hands. Each holds a briefcase with money spilling out, the left man's briefcase shaped like the United States' and the right man's like the Arabian Peninsula.\n  \n  [The New Wealth of Nations ![This article has an audio recording](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/themes\/foreign-policy-2017\/assets\/src\/images\/icons\/audio.svg)](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2025\/12\/03\/instrumental-capital-sovereign-wealth-funds-gulf\/?tpcc=recirc_more_from_fp051524)\n  \n  By  [Jared Cohen](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/author\/jared-cohen\/),  [George Lee](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/author\/george-lee\/)\n- [![A man in a coat outside of a glass office building, with high rise buildings under construction in the background.](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/China-tech-dragon-development-tech-GettyImages-2187442299.jpg?w=800&quality=80)](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2025\/10\/10\/china-tech-ai-innovation-economy-stagnation\/?tpcc=recirc_more_from_fp051524)\n  \n  A man in a coat outside of a glass office building, with high rise buildings under construction in the background.\n  \n  [China’s Tech Obsession Is Weighing Down Its Economy](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2025\/10\/10\/china-tech-ai-innovation-economy-stagnation\/?tpcc=recirc_more_from_fp051524)\n  \n  By  [Scott Kennedy](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/author\/scott-kennedy\/),  [Scott Rozelle](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/author\/scott-rozelle\/)\n- [![Photos of two men speaking each shown as a negative color inside a red and blue circle.](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Kissinger-brzezinski-realism-foreign-policy-illustratrion.png?w=800&quality=80)](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2025\/08\/01\/kissinger-brzezinski-trump-realism-realist-democracy-human-rights-us\/?tpcc=recirc_more_from_fp051524)\n  \n  Photos of two men speaking each shown as a negative color inside a red and blue circle.\n  \n  [Kissinger, Brzezinski, and the Promise of Realism ![This article has an audio recording](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/themes\/foreign-policy-2017\/assets\/src\/images\/icons\/audio.svg)](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2025\/08\/01\/kissinger-brzezinski-trump-realism-realist-democracy-human-rights-us\/?tpcc=recirc_more_from_fp051524)\n  \n  By  [Daniel Fried](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/author\/daniel-fried\/)\n\n## Iran War\n- [![Missiles are seen in the skies over Doha on March 3.](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-2263948504.jpg?w=800&quality=80)](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2026\/04\/07\/iran-united-states-gulf-uae-qatar-bahrain-saudi-oman-war\/?tpcc=recirc_featured_horizontal051524)\n  \n  Missiles are seen in the skies over Doha on March 3.\n  \n  [The Gulf’s Wartime Unity Is Unraveling ![This article has an audio recording](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/themes\/foreign-policy-2017\/assets\/src\/images\/icons\/audio.svg)](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2026\/04\/07\/iran-united-states-gulf-uae-qatar-bahrain-saudi-oman-war\/?tpcc=recirc_featured_horizontal051524)\n  \n  [Analysis](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/channel\/analysis\/)\n  \n  \\|\n  \n  [Omar H. Rahman](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/author\/omar-h-rahman\/)\n- [![A billboard displaying pictures of nuclear scientists, centrifuges and a sentence reading in Farsi: \" Science is the power\", at the Enqelab square in Tehran, on August 29, 2025.](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/iran-bomb-nuclear-trump-war-ayatollah-khamenei-2231892170.jpg?w=800&quality=80)](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2026\/04\/07\/iran-bomb-nuclear-trump-war-ayatollah-khamenei\/?tpcc=recirc_featured_horizontal051524)\n  \n  A billboard displaying pictures of nuclear scientists, centrifuges and a sentence reading in Farsi: \" Science is the power\", at the Enqelab square in Tehran, on August 29, 2025.\n  \n  [Preventing an Iranian Bomb Is Only Getting Harder](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2026\/04\/07\/iran-bomb-nuclear-trump-war-ayatollah-khamenei\/?tpcc=recirc_featured_horizontal051524)\n  \n  [Argument](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/category\/analysis\/argument\/)\n  \n  \\|\n  \n  [Eric Brewer](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/author\/eric-brewer\/)\n- [![The Albina Bulk carrier sits anchored on March 22, 2026 at Sultan Qaboos Port in Muscat, Oman.](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-2267954580.jpg?w=800&quality=80)](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2026\/04\/07\/iran-war-hormuz-toll-booth-peace\/?tpcc=recirc_featured_horizontal051524)\n  \n  The Albina Bulk carrier sits anchored on March 22, 2026 at Sultan Qaboos Port in Muscat, Oman.\n  \n  [The War Will End With a Hormuz Toll Booth](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2026\/04\/07\/iran-war-hormuz-toll-booth-peace\/?tpcc=recirc_featured_horizontal051524)\n  \n  [Analysis](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/channel\/analysis\/)\n  \n  \\|\n  \n  [Amir Handjani](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/author\/amir-handjani\/)\n\n## Trending\n- [The Man Who Shaped Washington’s View of the Middle East ![This article has an audio recording](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/themes\/foreign-policy-2017\/assets\/src\/images\/icons\/audio.svg)](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2026\/04\/09\/brett-mcgurk-middle-east-israel-gaza-iran\/?tpcc=recirc_right_rail051524)\n  \n  By  [Dion Nissenbaum](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/author\/dion-nissenbaum\/)\n- [U.S.-Iran Peace Talks May Collapse Before They Even Begin](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2026\/04\/10\/us-iran-peace-talks-islamabad-vance-ghalibaf-strait-hormuz-israel-lebanon-hezbollah\/?tpcc=recirc_right_rail051524)\n  \n  By  [Alexandra Sharp](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/author\/alexandra-sharp\/)\n- [Meme Wars ![This article has an audio recording](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/themes\/foreign-policy-2017\/assets\/src\/images\/icons\/audio.svg)](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2026\/04\/10\/iran-war-trump-lego-ai-memes-internet\/?tpcc=recirc_right_rail051524)\n  \n  By  [Rishi Iyengar](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/author\/rishi-iyengar\/)\n- [Where Do the Gulf States Go From Here?](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2026\/04\/10\/gulf-states-iran-war-united-arab-emirates-saudi-arabia-qatar-strikes-us-israel\/?tpcc=recirc_right_rail051524)\n  \n  By  [Steven A. Cook](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/author\/steven-a-cook\/)\n- [Trump’s Venezuela Report Card](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2026\/04\/10\/venezuela-us-intervention-maduro-trump-oil-rodriguez-machado\/?tpcc=recirc_right_rail051524)\n  \n  By  [Catherine Osborn](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/author\/catherine-osborn\/)\n\nLoading graphics\n\nFooter navigation\n\n[Back to Foreign Policy Magazine home page](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/)\n\n- [Follow FP on Bluesky](https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/foreignpolicy.com)\n- [Follow FP on X](https:\/\/twitter.com\/ForeignPolicy)\n- [Follow FP on LinkedIn](https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/foreign-policy-magazine\/)\n- [Follow FP on Instagram](https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/foreignpolicymag\/)\n- [Follow FP on Facebook](https:\/\/facebook.com\/foreign.policy.magazine)\n\n## [FP SOLUTIONS](https:\/\/solutions.foreignpolicy.com\/)\n- [FP Analytics](https:\/\/fpanalytics.foreignpolicy.com\/)\n- [FP Events](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/events\/)\n- [FP Studios](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/fp-studios\/)\n- [Simulations and Peacegames](https:\/\/fpanalytics.foreignpolicy.com\/simulations-peacegames\/)\n- [Advertise with FP](https:\/\/solutions.foreignpolicy.com\/)\n- [Country Reports](https:\/\/sponsored.foreignpolicy.com\/country-reports\/)\n\n## [Subscription Services](https:\/\/help.foreignpolicy.com\/)\n- [Your FP Account](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/manage)\n- [Group Subscriptions](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/group-subscriptions\/)\n- [Reprint Permissions](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/reprint-permissions\/)\n- [FP Magazine Archive](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/print-archive\/)\n- [Buy Back Issues](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/buy-back-issues\/)\n\n## [EDUCATION](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/fp-for-education\/)\n- [Graduate Education Guide](https:\/\/fpguide.foreignpolicy.com\/2026-spring-summer\/)\n- [FP for Education](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/fp-for-education\/)\n- [Institutional Access](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/group-subscriptions\/)\n\n## [ABOUT FP](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/staff\/)\n- [Writer's Guidelines](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.submittable.com\/submit)\n- [Contact FP](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/contact-us\/)\n- [Meet the Staff](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/staff\/)\n- [Work at FP](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/employment-opportunities\/)\n- [AI Policy](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/ai-policy\/)\n- [Privacy Policy](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/privacy\/)\n- [Do Not Sell My Personal Information](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/do-not-sell-or-share-my-personal-information\/)\n- [Terms of Use](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/termsofuse\/)\n- [Accessibility](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/accessibility\/)\n\n- [Follow FP on Bluesky](https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/foreignpolicy.com)\n- [Follow FP on X](https:\/\/twitter.com\/ForeignPolicy)\n- [Follow FP on LinkedIn](https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/foreign-policy-magazine\/)\n- [Follow FP on Instagram](https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/foreignpolicymag\/)\n- [Follow FP on Facebook](https:\/\/facebook.com\/foreign.policy.magazine)\n\nForeign Policy Magazine is a division of Graham Holdings Company. All contents (c) 2026, Graham Digital Holding Company. All rights reserved. Foreign Policy, 1099 14th St NW, Suite 500 East, Washington, D.C., 20005.\n\nPowered by [WordPress VIP](https:\/\/wpvip.com\/?utm_source=vip_powered_wpcom&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=VIP%20Footer%20Credit&utm_term=foreignpolicy.com)\n\n![](https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/tr?id=203988873637408&ev=PageView&noscript=1)\n\n![Quantcast](https:\/\/pixel.quantserve.com\/pixel\/p-FtKjv2mvnYjUe.gif)","attrs_readable_markdown":"## Regardless of why, he’s acting exactly like a Russian asset would.\nBy [**Edward Lucas**](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/author\/edward-lucas\/), a writer and analyst specializing in European security.\n\n![U.S. President Donald Trump listens during a meeting with energy company CEOs at the White House in Washington on April 3, 2020.](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/comrade-trump-GettyImages-1216662360.jpg?quality=90)\n\nU.S. President Donald Trump listens during a meeting with energy company CEOs at the White House in Washington on April 3, 2020.\n\nU.S. President Donald Trump listens during a meeting with energy company CEOs at the White House in Washington on April 3, 2020. Doug Mills-Pool\/Getty Images\n\n[My FP:](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/myfp) Follow topics and authors to get straight to what you like. Exclusively for FP subscribers. [Subscribe Now](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2025\/03\/10\/trump-putin-russia-asset-spy-security-ukraine-europe-war\/) \\| [Log In](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2025\/03\/10\/trump-putin-russia-asset-spy-security-ukraine-europe-war\/)\n\nMarch 10, 2025, 2:56 PM\n\nA few years ago, it would have looked like mission impossible for even the most capable Russian spy. Divide the United States from its allies? Check. Discredit its normative power (human rights, the rule of law, democracy, altruism)? Check. Weaken U.S. institutions to make further manipulation easier? Check.\n\nOne could go on. But it’s simpler to try testing the opposite hypothesis. Name one thing that U.S. President Donald Trump has done since taking office that the Kremlin did *not* like. Crickets.\n\n## Stories Readers Liked\n- Go to slide 1\n- Go to slide 2\n- Go to slide 3\n- Go to slide 4\n- Go to slide 5\n- Go to slide 6\n- Go to slide 7\n- Go to slide 8\n- Go to slide 9\n- Go to slide 10\n\n- [![An illustration with a world map background texture and fire cutting through three rings in the map with three human figures inside.](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1-world-after-trump-brian-stauffer-illustration.jpg?w=800&quality=80)](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2026\/03\/23\/post-trump-world-order-cold-war-spheres-of-influence\/?tpcc=recirc_more_from_fp051524)\n  \n  An illustration with a world map background texture and fire cutting through three rings in the map with three human figures inside.\n- [![An illustration shows semiconductor chips structured like a house of cards with a tiny city with government buildings atop it, ready to topple.](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1-AI-doomsday-house-of-cards-doug-chayka-illustration.jpg?w=800&quality=80)](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2026\/03\/24\/ai-artificial-intelligence-doomsday-iran-war\/?tpcc=recirc_more_from_fp051524)\n  \n  An illustration shows semiconductor chips structured like a house of cards with a tiny city with government buildings atop it, ready to topple.\n- [![Two dozen or so scattered pedestrians walking on a large plaza are seen from overhead. There is a giant world map embedded in the pavement, with China highlighted in a dark red and all the other countries in pale gray.](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/china-map-GettyImages-2262840218.jpg?w=800&quality=80)](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2026\/03\/25\/china-us-russia-sphere-influence-geopolitics-competition\/?tpcc=recirc_more_from_fp051524)\n  \n  Two dozen or so scattered pedestrians walking on a large plaza are seen from overhead. There is a giant world map embedded in the pavement, with China highlighted in a dark red and all the other countries in pale gray.\n- [![A photo illustration shows fractured colored shard revealing images of nation states in decline: an upside down U.S. Capitol building, the EU building in Brussels, broken columns, part of Donald Trump's head, explosions in the Middle East, and a tank in Ukraine.](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1-doomsday-books-nation-state-illustration-2188671579.jpg?w=800&quality=80)](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2026\/03\/27\/book-review-after-nations-dasgupta-westad-prasad-milanovic\/?tpcc=recirc_more_from_fp051524)\n  \n  A photo illustration shows fractured colored shard revealing images of nation states in decline: an upside down U.S. Capitol building, the EU building in Brussels, broken columns, part of Donald Trump's head, explosions in the Middle East, and a tank in Ukraine.\n  \n  [After the Nation-State](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2026\/03\/27\/book-review-after-nations-dasgupta-westad-prasad-milanovic\/?tpcc=recirc_more_from_fp051524)By  [Michael Hirsh](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/author\/michael-hirsh\/)\n- [![A photo illustration showing six classical Greek or Roman-style columns, plus a stack of televisions as the seventh pillar of populism. The TVs show images of Victor Orban, Narendra Modi, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Donald Trump.](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1-trump-orban-modi-erdogan-Pillars-populism-2026.jpg?w=800&quality=80)](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2026\/02\/19\/trump-erdogan-orban-modi-india-hungary-turkey-populism-corruptionthe-seven-pillars-of-populist-foreign-policy\/?tpcc=recirc_more_from_fp051524)\n  \n  A photo illustration showing six classical Greek or Roman-style columns, plus a stack of televisions as the seventh pillar of populism. The TVs show images of Victor Orban, Narendra Modi, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Donald Trump.\n  \n  [The Seven Pillars of Populist Foreign Policy](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2026\/02\/19\/trump-erdogan-orban-modi-india-hungary-turkey-populism-corruptionthe-seven-pillars-of-populist-foreign-policy\/?tpcc=recirc_more_from_fp051524)By  [Lisel Hintz](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/author\/lisel-hintz\/),  [Berk Esen](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/author\/berk-esen\/),  [Tudor Onea](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/author\/tudor-onea\/)\n- [![An illustration of a tombstone reading \"RIP\" appears in place of a globe on a circular stand.](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/International-order-dead-foreign-policy-illustration.png?w=800&quality=80)](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2026\/02\/09\/liberal-international-order-death-trump-greenland\/?tpcc=recirc_more_from_fp051524)\n  \n  An illustration of a tombstone reading \"RIP\" appears in place of a globe on a circular stand.\n- [![Central American migrant children play on a seesaw at a shelter in Ciudad Juárez, state of Chihuahua, Mexico.](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-1231954938.jpg?w=800&quality=80)](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2026\/01\/23\/trump-threats-europe-greenland-balance-power\/?tpcc=recirc_more_from_fp051524)\n  \n  Central American migrant children play on a seesaw at a shelter in Ciudad Juárez, state of Chihuahua, Mexico.\n- [![An illustration shows two men against a bright yellow background. One man wears a Western-style business suit and the other wears a black robe and white head covering. The men are shaking hands. Each holds a briefcase with money spilling out, the left man's briefcase shaped like the United States' and the right man's like the Arabian Peninsula.](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1-instrumental-capital-sovereign-wealth-sebastien-thibault.jpg?w=800&quality=80)](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2025\/12\/03\/instrumental-capital-sovereign-wealth-funds-gulf\/?tpcc=recirc_more_from_fp051524)\n  \n  An illustration shows two men against a bright yellow background. One man wears a Western-style business suit and the other wears a black robe and white head covering. The men are shaking hands. Each holds a briefcase with money spilling out, the left man's briefcase shaped like the United States' and the right man's like the Arabian Peninsula.\n- [![A man in a coat outside of a glass office building, with high rise buildings under construction in the background.](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/China-tech-dragon-development-tech-GettyImages-2187442299.jpg?w=800&quality=80)](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2025\/10\/10\/china-tech-ai-innovation-economy-stagnation\/?tpcc=recirc_more_from_fp051524)\n  \n  A man in a coat outside of a glass office building, with high rise buildings under construction in the background.\n  \n  [China’s Tech Obsession Is Weighing Down Its Economy](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2025\/10\/10\/china-tech-ai-innovation-economy-stagnation\/?tpcc=recirc_more_from_fp051524)By  [Scott Kennedy](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/author\/scott-kennedy\/),  [Scott Rozelle](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/author\/scott-rozelle\/)\n- [![Photos of two men speaking each shown as a negative color inside a red and blue circle.](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Kissinger-brzezinski-realism-foreign-policy-illustratrion.png?w=800&quality=80)](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2025\/08\/01\/kissinger-brzezinski-trump-realism-realist-democracy-human-rights-us\/?tpcc=recirc_more_from_fp051524)\n  \n  Photos of two men speaking each shown as a negative color inside a red and blue circle.\n\nIran War\n\n- [![Missiles are seen in the skies over Doha on March 3.](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-2263948504.jpg?w=800&quality=80)](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2026\/04\/07\/iran-united-states-gulf-uae-qatar-bahrain-saudi-oman-war\/?tpcc=recirc_featured_horizontal051524)\n  \n  Missiles are seen in the skies over Doha on March 3.\n- [![A billboard displaying pictures of nuclear scientists, centrifuges and a sentence reading in Farsi: \" Science is the power\", at the Enqelab square in Tehran, on August 29, 2025.](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/iran-bomb-nuclear-trump-war-ayatollah-khamenei-2231892170.jpg?w=800&quality=80)](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2026\/04\/07\/iran-bomb-nuclear-trump-war-ayatollah-khamenei\/?tpcc=recirc_featured_horizontal051524)\n  \n  A billboard displaying pictures of nuclear scientists, centrifuges and a sentence reading in Farsi: \" Science is the power\", at the Enqelab square in Tehran, on August 29, 2025.\n- [![The Albina Bulk carrier sits anchored on March 22, 2026 at Sultan Qaboos Port in Muscat, Oman.](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-2267954580.jpg?w=800&quality=80)](https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2026\/04\/07\/iran-war-hormuz-toll-booth-peace\/?tpcc=recirc_featured_horizontal051524)\n  \n  The Albina Bulk carrier sits anchored on March 22, 2026 at Sultan Qaboos Port in Muscat, Oman.","meta_canonical":null}

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Boilerpipe Text	Regardless of why, he’s acting exactly like a Russian asset would. By Edward Lucas , a writer and analyst specializing in European security. U.S. President Donald Trump listens during a meeting with energy company CEOs at the White House in Washington on April 3, 2020. U.S. President Donald Trump listens during a meeting with energy company CEOs at the White House in Washington on April 3, 2020. Doug Mills-Pool/Getty Images My FP: Follow topics and authors to get straight to what you like. Exclusively for FP subscribers. Subscribe Now \| Log In March 10, 2025, 2:56 PM A few years ago, it would have looked like mission impossible for even the most capable Russian spy. Divide the United States from its allies? Check. Discredit its normative power (human rights, the rule of law, democracy, altruism)? Check. Weaken U.S. institutions to make further manipulation easier? Check. One could go on. But it’s simpler to try testing the opposite hypothesis. Name one thing that U.S. President Donald Trump has done since taking office that the Kremlin did not like. Crickets. Stories Readers Liked Go to slide 1 Go to slide 2 Go to slide 3 Go to slide 4 Go to slide 5 Go to slide 6 Go to slide 7 Go to slide 8 Go to slide 9 Go to slide 10 An illustration with a world map background texture and fire cutting through three rings in the map with three human figures inside. An illustration shows semiconductor chips structured like a house of cards with a tiny city with government buildings atop it, ready to topple. Two dozen or so scattered pedestrians walking on a large plaza are seen from overhead. There is a giant world map embedded in the pavement, with China highlighted in a dark red and all the other countries in pale gray. A photo illustration shows fractured colored shard revealing images of nation states in decline: an upside down U.S. Capitol building, the EU building in Brussels, broken columns, part of Donald Trump's head, explosions in the Middle East, and a tank in Ukraine. After the Nation-State By Michael Hirsh A photo illustration showing six classical Greek or Roman-style columns, plus a stack of televisions as the seventh pillar of populism. The TVs show images of Victor Orban, Narendra Modi, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Donald Trump. The Seven Pillars of Populist Foreign Policy By Lisel Hintz , Berk Esen , Tudor Onea An illustration of a tombstone reading "RIP" appears in place of a globe on a circular stand. Central American migrant children play on a seesaw at a shelter in Ciudad Juárez, state of Chihuahua, Mexico. An illustration shows two men against a bright yellow background. One man wears a Western-style business suit and the other wears a black robe and white head covering. The men are shaking hands. Each holds a briefcase with money spilling out, the left man's briefcase shaped like the United States' and the right man's like the Arabian Peninsula. A man in a coat outside of a glass office building, with high rise buildings under construction in the background. China’s Tech Obsession Is Weighing Down Its Economy By Scott Kennedy , Scott Rozelle Photos of two men speaking each shown as a negative color inside a red and blue circle. Iran War A police officer stands near a poster featuring the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on March 28 in Tehran, Iran. Does Iran’s Future Look Like Cuba, Syria, or North Korea? The Gulf and Israel are pursuing rival strategies toward Iran, but neither is likely to get what they want. Missiles are seen in the skies over Doha on March 3. A billboard displaying pictures of nuclear scientists, centrifuges and a sentence reading in Farsi: " Science is the power", at the Enqelab square in Tehran, on August 29, 2025. The Albina Bulk carrier sits anchored on March 22, 2026 at Sultan Qaboos Port in Muscat, Oman.
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All contents (c) 2026, Graham Digital Holding Company. All rights reserved. Foreign Policy, 1099 14th St NW, Suite 500 East, Washington, D.C., 20005. Powered by [WordPress VIP](https://wpvip.com/?utm_source=vip_powered_wpcom&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=VIP%20Footer%20Credit&utm_term=foreignpolicy.com) [Argument](https://foreignpolicy.com/category/analysis/argument/) An expert’s point of view on a current event. # Comrade Trump ## Regardless of why, he’s acting exactly like a Russian asset would. By [Edward Lucas](https://foreignpolicy.com/author/edward-lucas/), a writer and analyst specializing in European security. ![U.S. President Donald Trump listens during a meeting with energy company CEOs at the White House in Washington on April 3, 2020.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/comrade-trump-GettyImages-1216662360.jpg?quality=90) U.S. President Donald Trump listens during a meeting with energy company CEOs at the White House in Washington on April 3, 2020. U.S. President Donald Trump listens during a meeting with energy company CEOs at the White House in Washington on April 3, 2020. Doug Mills-Pool/Getty Images [My FP:](https://foreignpolicy.com/myfp) Follow topics and authors to get straight to what you like. Exclusively for FP subscribers. [Subscribe Now](https://foreignpolicy.com/2025/03/10/trump-putin-russia-asset-spy-security-ukraine-europe-war/) \\| [Log In](https://foreignpolicy.com/2025/03/10/trump-putin-russia-asset-spy-security-ukraine-europe-war/) - U.S. Foreign Policy - Geopolitics - Russia March 10, 2025, 2:56 PM A few years ago, it would have looked like mission impossible for even the most capable Russian spy. Divide the United States from its allies? Check. Discredit its normative power (human rights, the rule of law, democracy, altruism)? Check. Weaken U.S. institutions to make further manipulation easier? Check. [Russia’s War in Ukraine](https://foreignpolicy.com/projects/ukraine-russia-war-news-europe-security/) [Understanding the conflict four years on.](https://foreignpolicy.com/projects/ukraine-russia-war-news-europe-security/) [More on this topic](https://foreignpolicy.com/projects/ukraine-russia-war-news-europe-security/) One could go on. But it’s simpler to try testing the opposite hypothesis. Name one thing that U.S. President Donald Trump has done since taking office that the Kremlin did not like. Crickets. A few years ago, it would have looked like mission impossible for even the most capable Russian spy. Divide the United States from its allies? Check. Discredit its normative power (human rights, the rule of law, democracy, altruism)? Check. Weaken U.S. institutions to make further manipulation easier? Check. [Russia’s War in Ukraine](https://foreignpolicy.com/projects/ukraine-russia-war-news-europe-security/) [Understanding the conflict four years on.](https://foreignpolicy.com/projects/ukraine-russia-war-news-europe-security/) [More on this topic](https://foreignpolicy.com/projects/ukraine-russia-war-news-europe-security/) One could go on. But it’s simpler to try testing the opposite hypothesis. Name one thing that U.S. President Donald Trump has done since taking office that the Kremlin did not like. Crickets. True, he’s issued a rhetorical warning about potential sanctions against Russia. He’s kept ostentatiously friendly relations with two core allies, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron. But listen to the dismay in London and Paris, and it’s clear that these are mere gestures: symbolic, not practical. Does what critics see as Trump’s helter-skelter adoption of Kremlin talking points and to-do lists make the U.S. president a Russian asset—what one might call a Muscovian candidate? I’ve spent four decades dealing with Soviet and then Russian intelligence services, their stunts, and their provocations. I have been interrogated by the KGB (incompetently). I’ve written a book on East-West espionage. I agree that Trump’s past conduct is highly questionable—circumstantial [evidence of Russian mischief](https://foreignpolicy.com/2024/10/30/enduring-mystery-trump-relationship-russia/) abounds. He would certainly fail even the most basic check for a security clearance. The case for motivation and opportunity are easily made. Two retired Russian spies allege that Trump was compromised on his trip to the Soviet Union in 1987 and given the codename “[Krasnov](https://uk.news.yahoo.com/donald-trump-recruited-kgb-codename-180759277.html).” Trump could well have succumbed to the KGB’s trademark cocktail of flattery and blackmail on that trip. Many other Westerners did. I can also believe that Russia [funneled money](https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/12/21/how-russian-money-helped-save-trumps-business/) to Trump in the 1990s to keep his near-bankrupt business empire afloat. I agree that he’s surrounded himself with grifters and oddballs who give spy catchers hives. But actually running him as an agent? Can you really imagine Trump turning up on time for a clandestine meeting? Remembering where the dead drop is? Filing reports? Using a code book properly? Keeping secrets? Obeying orders? His chaotic, petulant mindset would be a case officer’s nightmare. The more likely and simpler explanation is that Trump is just what he seems: a Vladimir Putin fanboy—and wildly greedy to boot. He may be an asset to Russia but is not in the formal sense a Russian asset. He admires the Russian president-for-life’s strongman style and the way his regime allows insiders (and Putin himself) to turn power into wealth. In any case, the result is the same. Putin’s hubristic war in Ukraine could have ended in his downfall. But dithering by the Biden administration and other NATO governments turned it into a stalemate. Now Trump has tipped the balance by cutting off aid and intelligence support to Ukraine. That spells not only humiliation for Ukraine but also huge costs and risks for European countries. After a cease-fire, Ukraine could become a giant Bosnia: unstable, resentful, and vulnerable. Attempts to provide defense and deterrence there may prove a bonfire of European credibility. More broadly, Trump’s contempt for soft power has turned off the geopolitical equivalent of magnetic north. Since the Atlantic Charter of 1941, American allies have been able to tell themselves that their security policy was not just a bargain born out of self-interest, but part of a righteous cause: resisting and defeating communism, promoting prosperity and freedom. Naive? Perhaps. Flawed? Certainly. But that belief sustained decades of alignment, which in turn fostered tight economic ties and close personal friendships. All of it amplified American power. Not anymore. In the space of eight weeks, Trump has undone eight decades of work in building American power in the world. Gutting foreign aid, for example, does more than practical damage to humanitarian causes. It removes a central prop of U.S. influence. Team Trump actively disparages the people and political parties running the United States’ closest allies. Instead, they promote their rivals and opponents, from the far-right Alternative for Germany to Nigel Farage’s populist Reform party in the United Kingdom. The result is that lifelong Atlanticists in Europe now talk like Gaullists—the French politicians who have always feared and resisted U.S. influence. The supposed rationale for inflicting all this damage is realism. In Trump’s “might is right” worldview, bludgeoning Ukraine is just a tactical ploy to get it to the negotiating table. Weakening Europe makes sense, too—it will be easier for the United States to bully. If the real threat is China, why not try splitting Moscow and Beijing? Allies may whimper, but American voters are fed up with subsidies to foreigners and want problems at home fixed first. ## Read More - [![An illustration shows the large face of Vladimir Putin. A red wedge cuts across one of his eyes. Inside the wedge is a walking Donald Trump giving the thumbs up sign.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/trump-putin-russia-influence-mystery-mark-harris-illustratrion.jpg?w=800&quality=80)](https://foreignpolicy.com/2024/10/30/enduring-mystery-trump-relationship-russia/) An illustration shows the large face of Vladimir Putin. A red wedge cuts across one of his eyes. Inside the wedge is a walking Donald Trump giving the thumbs up sign. [The Enduring Mystery of Trump’s Relationship With Russia](https://foreignpolicy.com/2024/10/30/enduring-mystery-trump-relationship-russia/) After years of government investigations, we still don’t know if the former president is actually in Putin’s pocket. [Deep Dive](https://foreignpolicy.com/category/deep-dive/) \\| [Michael Hirsh](https://foreignpolicy.com/author/michael-hirsh/) - [![A woman walks past an advertisement for the Russian army at a bus stop.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/russia-war-ukraine-GettyImages-2198939735.jpg?w=800&quality=80)](https://foreignpolicy.com/2025/03/10/trump-putin-russia-war-ukraine-victory-peace-ceasefire/) A woman walks past an advertisement for the Russian army at a bus stop. [Russia Is Only Winning Inside Trump’s Head](https://foreignpolicy.com/2025/03/10/trump-putin-russia-war-ukraine-victory-peace-ceasefire/) As Russians will tell you, the reality on the ground looks very, very different. [Analysis](https://foreignpolicy.com/channel/analysis/) \\| [Alexey Kovalev](https://foreignpolicy.com/author/alexey-kovalev/) - [![Trump, left, stands next to Putin. Trump appears slightly hunched over with a grimacing expression. Putin smiles and holds papers in his hands.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/trump-putin-GettyImages-1000209212.jpg?w=800&quality=80)](https://foreignpolicy.com/2025/02/14/trump-putin-deal-negotiations-russia-ukraine-peace/) Trump, left, stands next to Putin. Trump appears slightly hunched over with a grimacing expression. Putin smiles and holds papers in his hands. [Jubilation in Moscow Over Trump’s Gifts to Putin](https://foreignpolicy.com/2025/02/14/trump-putin-deal-negotiations-russia-ukraine-peace/) To the Kremlin and its supporters, fortune has finally turned Russia’s way. [Analysis](https://foreignpolicy.com/channel/analysis/) \\| [Alexey Kovalev](https://foreignpolicy.com/author/alexey-kovalev/) But in practice, the policies are surreal. Those far-right leaders in Europe are, guess what, notorious for their anti-Americanism. They have close ties with China, too. Wooing the Kremlin never works. Just ask former U.S. presidents—Bill Clinton, the Bushes, and Barack Obama. Russian leaders pocket concessions and do not deliver. One wonders if the purported author of the Art of the Deal has actually read the book published under his name. Rather than speculate fruitlessly about the motivation for Trump’s behavior, the better approach is to measure it accurately and react to it appropriately. Allies tend to forget past storms. Is this era worse than the isolationism of the 1920s and 1930s? Or what followed? The British remember U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt’s ruthless treatment of their beleaguered country before the United States finally entered the war against Adolf Hitler—and the scalding financial humiliations the British suffered during and after it. Is the abandonment of Ukraine really worse than President Dwight Eisenhower’s punishment of the U.K. and France for the Suez expedition in 1956? Is Trump’s cynical bombast over Gaza more revolting than the wars in Indochina? Or President George W. Bush’s disastrous global war on terror? Nor is Trumpism, with its doom-laden, resentful rhetoric, a wholly new phenomenon. The reactionary national-populist strand of American political life dates back decades. Remember the John Birch Society, the Moral Majority, Newt Gingrich, the Tea Party, Sarah Palin? The real story is that the guardrails are down this time, and nobody dares to stand up to Trump’s hucksterism and bullying. In short, Trump’s reign is certainly different and probably worse, but critics should check their history books before declaring U.S.-led alliances dead and buried. After doing that, they should stop complaining and act. Spurred by the security crisis, European leaders have already done more in a month than they normally manage in a decade. It is still too little, too vague, and fearfully late, but the outlines of a new, hard-edged European approach to defense are visible. It brings the U.K. back into Europe, sheds complexes about militarism, busts budget rules to pay for more defense spending, and displays a new and welcome decisiveness. I suggest that Europeans mark this important shift by showing their gratitude. Put up a big golden statue of Trump in the heart of Brussels, hailing him the founder of a truly united Europe. And put the inscription in Russian—that will annoy him, too. This post is part of FP’s ongoing coverage of the Trump administration.* Follow along [here](https://foreignpolicy.com/projects/trump-presidential-transition-personnel-cabinet-policy-issues/).* Edward Lucas is a writer and analyst specializing in European security, a former senior editor at the Economist, and the author, most recently, of Spycraft Rebooted: How Technology Is Changing Espionage. X: [@edwardlucas](http://www.twitter.com/edwardlucas) Read More On [Alliances](https://foreignpolicy.com/tag/alliances/) \\| [Donald Trump](https://foreignpolicy.com/tag/donald-trump/) \\| [Geopolitics](https://foreignpolicy.com/tag/geopolitics/) \\| [Russia](https://foreignpolicy.com/tag/russia/) \\| [U.S. Foreign Policy](https://foreignpolicy.com/tag/u-s-foreign-policy/) \\| [Vladimir Putin](https://foreignpolicy.com/tag/vladimir-putin/) ## Join the Conversation Commenting is a benefit of a Foreign Policy subscription. [Subscribe Subscribe](https://foreignpolicy.com/subscribe) Already a subscriber? [Log In](). [View 0 Comments]() ## Join the Conversation Join the conversation on this and other recent Foreign Policy articles when you subscribe now. [Subscribe Subscribe](https://foreignpolicy.com/subscribe) Not your account? 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There is a giant world map embedded in the pavement, with China highlighted in a dark red and all the other countries in pale gray. [No, China Doesn’t Want Spheres of Influence ![This article has an audio recording](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/themes/foreign-policy-2017/assets/src/images/icons/audio.svg)](https://foreignpolicy.com/2026/03/25/china-us-russia-sphere-influence-geopolitics-competition/?tpcc=recirc_more_from_fp051524) By [Aaron Glasserman](https://foreignpolicy.com/author/aaron-glasserman/) - [![A photo illustration shows fractured colored shard revealing images of nation states in decline: an upside down U.S. Capitol building, the EU building in Brussels, broken columns, part of Donald Trump's head, explosions in the Middle East, and a tank in Ukraine.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/1-doomsday-books-nation-state-illustration-2188671579.jpg?w=800&quality=80)](https://foreignpolicy.com/2026/03/27/book-review-after-nations-dasgupta-westad-prasad-milanovic/?tpcc=recirc_more_from_fp051524) A photo illustration shows fractured colored shard revealing images of nation states in decline: an upside down U.S. Capitol building, the EU building in Brussels, broken columns, part of Donald Trump's head, explosions in the Middle East, and a tank in Ukraine. [After the Nation-State](https://foreignpolicy.com/2026/03/27/book-review-after-nations-dasgupta-westad-prasad-milanovic/?tpcc=recirc_more_from_fp051524) By [Michael Hirsh](https://foreignpolicy.com/author/michael-hirsh/) - [![A photo illustration showing six classical Greek or Roman-style columns, plus a stack of televisions as the seventh pillar of populism. The TVs show images of Victor Orban, Narendra Modi, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Donald Trump.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/1-trump-orban-modi-erdogan-Pillars-populism-2026.jpg?w=800&quality=80)](https://foreignpolicy.com/2026/02/19/trump-erdogan-orban-modi-india-hungary-turkey-populism-corruptionthe-seven-pillars-of-populist-foreign-policy/?tpcc=recirc_more_from_fp051524) A photo illustration showing six classical Greek or Roman-style columns, plus a stack of televisions as the seventh pillar of populism. The TVs show images of Victor Orban, Narendra Modi, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Donald Trump. [The Seven Pillars of Populist Foreign Policy](https://foreignpolicy.com/2026/02/19/trump-erdogan-orban-modi-india-hungary-turkey-populism-corruptionthe-seven-pillars-of-populist-foreign-policy/?tpcc=recirc_more_from_fp051524) By [Lisel Hintz](https://foreignpolicy.com/author/lisel-hintz/), [Berk Esen](https://foreignpolicy.com/author/berk-esen/), [Tudor Onea](https://foreignpolicy.com/author/tudor-onea/) - [![An illustration of a tombstone reading "RIP" appears in place of a globe on a circular stand.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/International-order-dead-foreign-policy-illustration.png?w=800&quality=80)](https://foreignpolicy.com/2026/02/09/liberal-international-order-death-trump-greenland/?tpcc=recirc_more_from_fp051524) An illustration of a tombstone reading "RIP" appears in place of a globe on a circular stand. [Who Killed the Liberal International Order? ![This article has an audio recording](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/themes/foreign-policy-2017/assets/src/images/icons/audio.svg)](https://foreignpolicy.com/2026/02/09/liberal-international-order-death-trump-greenland/?tpcc=recirc_more_from_fp051524) By [Nick Danforth](https://foreignpolicy.com/author/nick-danforth/) - [![Central American migrant children play on a seesaw at a shelter in Ciudad Juárez, state of Chihuahua, Mexico.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-1231954938.jpg?w=800&quality=80)](https://foreignpolicy.com/2026/01/23/trump-threats-europe-greenland-balance-power/?tpcc=recirc_more_from_fp051524) Central American migrant children play on a seesaw at a shelter in Ciudad Juárez, state of Chihuahua, Mexico. [The Balance-of-Power Theory Strikes Again ![This article has an audio recording](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/themes/foreign-policy-2017/assets/src/images/icons/audio.svg)](https://foreignpolicy.com/2026/01/23/trump-threats-europe-greenland-balance-power/?tpcc=recirc_more_from_fp051524) By [Stephen M. Walt](https://foreignpolicy.com/author/stephen-m-walt/) - [![An illustration shows two men against a bright yellow background. One man wears a Western-style business suit and the other wears a black robe and white head covering. The men are shaking hands. Each holds a briefcase with money spilling out, the left man's briefcase shaped like the United States' and the right man's like the Arabian Peninsula.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/1-instrumental-capital-sovereign-wealth-sebastien-thibault.jpg?w=800&quality=80)](https://foreignpolicy.com/2025/12/03/instrumental-capital-sovereign-wealth-funds-gulf/?tpcc=recirc_more_from_fp051524) An illustration shows two men against a bright yellow background. One man wears a Western-style business suit and the other wears a black robe and white head covering. The men are shaking hands. Each holds a briefcase with money spilling out, the left man's briefcase shaped like the United States' and the right man's like the Arabian Peninsula. [The New Wealth of Nations ![This article has an audio recording](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/themes/foreign-policy-2017/assets/src/images/icons/audio.svg)](https://foreignpolicy.com/2025/12/03/instrumental-capital-sovereign-wealth-funds-gulf/?tpcc=recirc_more_from_fp051524) By [Jared Cohen](https://foreignpolicy.com/author/jared-cohen/), [George Lee](https://foreignpolicy.com/author/george-lee/) - [![A man in a coat outside of a glass office building, with high rise buildings under construction in the background.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/China-tech-dragon-development-tech-GettyImages-2187442299.jpg?w=800&quality=80)](https://foreignpolicy.com/2025/10/10/china-tech-ai-innovation-economy-stagnation/?tpcc=recirc_more_from_fp051524) A man in a coat outside of a glass office building, with high rise buildings under construction in the background. [China’s Tech Obsession Is Weighing Down Its Economy](https://foreignpolicy.com/2025/10/10/china-tech-ai-innovation-economy-stagnation/?tpcc=recirc_more_from_fp051524) By [Scott Kennedy](https://foreignpolicy.com/author/scott-kennedy/), [Scott Rozelle](https://foreignpolicy.com/author/scott-rozelle/) - [![Photos of two men speaking each shown as a negative color inside a red and blue circle.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Kissinger-brzezinski-realism-foreign-policy-illustratrion.png?w=800&quality=80)](https://foreignpolicy.com/2025/08/01/kissinger-brzezinski-trump-realism-realist-democracy-human-rights-us/?tpcc=recirc_more_from_fp051524) Photos of two men speaking each shown as a negative color inside a red and blue circle. [Kissinger, Brzezinski, and the Promise of Realism ![This article has an audio recording](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/themes/foreign-policy-2017/assets/src/images/icons/audio.svg)](https://foreignpolicy.com/2025/08/01/kissinger-brzezinski-trump-realism-realist-democracy-human-rights-us/?tpcc=recirc_more_from_fp051524) By [Daniel Fried](https://foreignpolicy.com/author/daniel-fried/) ## Iran War - [![Missiles are seen in the skies over Doha on March 3.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/GettyImages-2263948504.jpg?w=800&quality=80)](https://foreignpolicy.com/2026/04/07/iran-united-states-gulf-uae-qatar-bahrain-saudi-oman-war/?tpcc=recirc_featured_horizontal051524) Missiles are seen in the skies over Doha on March 3. [The Gulf’s Wartime Unity Is Unraveling ![This article has an audio recording](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/themes/foreign-policy-2017/assets/src/images/icons/audio.svg)](https://foreignpolicy.com/2026/04/07/iran-united-states-gulf-uae-qatar-bahrain-saudi-oman-war/?tpcc=recirc_featured_horizontal051524) [Analysis](https://foreignpolicy.com/channel/analysis/) \\| [Omar H. Rahman](https://foreignpolicy.com/author/omar-h-rahman/) - [![A billboard displaying pictures of nuclear scientists, centrifuges and a sentence reading in Farsi: " Science is the power", at the Enqelab square in Tehran, on August 29, 2025.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/iran-bomb-nuclear-trump-war-ayatollah-khamenei-2231892170.jpg?w=800&quality=80)](https://foreignpolicy.com/2026/04/07/iran-bomb-nuclear-trump-war-ayatollah-khamenei/?tpcc=recirc_featured_horizontal051524) A billboard displaying pictures of nuclear scientists, centrifuges and a sentence reading in Farsi: " Science is the power", at the Enqelab square in Tehran, on August 29, 2025. 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Readable Markdown	## Regardless of why, he’s acting exactly like a Russian asset would. By [Edward Lucas](https://foreignpolicy.com/author/edward-lucas/), a writer and analyst specializing in European security. ![U.S. President Donald Trump listens during a meeting with energy company CEOs at the White House in Washington on April 3, 2020.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/comrade-trump-GettyImages-1216662360.jpg?quality=90) U.S. President Donald Trump listens during a meeting with energy company CEOs at the White House in Washington on April 3, 2020. U.S. President Donald Trump listens during a meeting with energy company CEOs at the White House in Washington on April 3, 2020. Doug Mills-Pool/Getty Images [My FP:](https://foreignpolicy.com/myfp) Follow topics and authors to get straight to what you like. Exclusively for FP subscribers. [Subscribe Now](https://foreignpolicy.com/2025/03/10/trump-putin-russia-asset-spy-security-ukraine-europe-war/) \\| [Log In](https://foreignpolicy.com/2025/03/10/trump-putin-russia-asset-spy-security-ukraine-europe-war/) March 10, 2025, 2:56 PM A few years ago, it would have looked like mission impossible for even the most capable Russian spy. Divide the United States from its allies? Check. Discredit its normative power (human rights, the rule of law, democracy, altruism)? Check. Weaken U.S. institutions to make further manipulation easier? Check. One could go on. But it’s simpler to try testing the opposite hypothesis. Name one thing that U.S. President Donald Trump has done since taking office that the Kremlin did not like. Crickets. ## Stories Readers Liked - Go to slide 1 - Go to slide 2 - Go to slide 3 - Go to slide 4 - Go to slide 5 - Go to slide 6 - Go to slide 7 - Go to slide 8 - Go to slide 9 - Go to slide 10 - [![An illustration with a world map background texture and fire cutting through three rings in the map with three human figures inside.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/1-world-after-trump-brian-stauffer-illustration.jpg?w=800&quality=80)](https://foreignpolicy.com/2026/03/23/post-trump-world-order-cold-war-spheres-of-influence/?tpcc=recirc_more_from_fp051524) An illustration with a world map background texture and fire cutting through three rings in the map with three human figures inside. - [![An illustration shows semiconductor chips structured like a house of cards with a tiny city with government buildings atop it, ready to topple.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/1-AI-doomsday-house-of-cards-doug-chayka-illustration.jpg?w=800&quality=80)](https://foreignpolicy.com/2026/03/24/ai-artificial-intelligence-doomsday-iran-war/?tpcc=recirc_more_from_fp051524) An illustration shows semiconductor chips structured like a house of cards with a tiny city with government buildings atop it, ready to topple. - [![Two dozen or so scattered pedestrians walking on a large plaza are seen from overhead. There is a giant world map embedded in the pavement, with China highlighted in a dark red and all the other countries in pale gray.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/china-map-GettyImages-2262840218.jpg?w=800&quality=80)](https://foreignpolicy.com/2026/03/25/china-us-russia-sphere-influence-geopolitics-competition/?tpcc=recirc_more_from_fp051524) Two dozen or so scattered pedestrians walking on a large plaza are seen from overhead. There is a giant world map embedded in the pavement, with China highlighted in a dark red and all the other countries in pale gray. - [![A photo illustration shows fractured colored shard revealing images of nation states in decline: an upside down U.S. Capitol building, the EU building in Brussels, broken columns, part of Donald Trump's head, explosions in the Middle East, and a tank in Ukraine.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/1-doomsday-books-nation-state-illustration-2188671579.jpg?w=800&quality=80)](https://foreignpolicy.com/2026/03/27/book-review-after-nations-dasgupta-westad-prasad-milanovic/?tpcc=recirc_more_from_fp051524) A photo illustration shows fractured colored shard revealing images of nation states in decline: an upside down U.S. Capitol building, the EU building in Brussels, broken columns, part of Donald Trump's head, explosions in the Middle East, and a tank in Ukraine. [After the Nation-State](https://foreignpolicy.com/2026/03/27/book-review-after-nations-dasgupta-westad-prasad-milanovic/?tpcc=recirc_more_from_fp051524)By [Michael Hirsh](https://foreignpolicy.com/author/michael-hirsh/) - [![A photo illustration showing six classical Greek or Roman-style columns, plus a stack of televisions as the seventh pillar of populism. The TVs show images of Victor Orban, Narendra Modi, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Donald Trump.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/1-trump-orban-modi-erdogan-Pillars-populism-2026.jpg?w=800&quality=80)](https://foreignpolicy.com/2026/02/19/trump-erdogan-orban-modi-india-hungary-turkey-populism-corruptionthe-seven-pillars-of-populist-foreign-policy/?tpcc=recirc_more_from_fp051524) A photo illustration showing six classical Greek or Roman-style columns, plus a stack of televisions as the seventh pillar of populism. The TVs show images of Victor Orban, Narendra Modi, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Donald Trump. [The Seven Pillars of Populist Foreign Policy](https://foreignpolicy.com/2026/02/19/trump-erdogan-orban-modi-india-hungary-turkey-populism-corruptionthe-seven-pillars-of-populist-foreign-policy/?tpcc=recirc_more_from_fp051524)By [Lisel Hintz](https://foreignpolicy.com/author/lisel-hintz/), [Berk Esen](https://foreignpolicy.com/author/berk-esen/), [Tudor Onea](https://foreignpolicy.com/author/tudor-onea/) - [![An illustration of a tombstone reading "RIP" appears in place of a globe on a circular stand.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/International-order-dead-foreign-policy-illustration.png?w=800&quality=80)](https://foreignpolicy.com/2026/02/09/liberal-international-order-death-trump-greenland/?tpcc=recirc_more_from_fp051524) An illustration of a tombstone reading "RIP" appears in place of a globe on a circular stand. - [![Central American migrant children play on a seesaw at a shelter in Ciudad Juárez, state of Chihuahua, Mexico.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-1231954938.jpg?w=800&quality=80)](https://foreignpolicy.com/2026/01/23/trump-threats-europe-greenland-balance-power/?tpcc=recirc_more_from_fp051524) Central American migrant children play on a seesaw at a shelter in Ciudad Juárez, state of Chihuahua, Mexico. - [![An illustration shows two men against a bright yellow background. One man wears a Western-style business suit and the other wears a black robe and white head covering. The men are shaking hands. Each holds a briefcase with money spilling out, the left man's briefcase shaped like the United States' and the right man's like the Arabian Peninsula.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/1-instrumental-capital-sovereign-wealth-sebastien-thibault.jpg?w=800&quality=80)](https://foreignpolicy.com/2025/12/03/instrumental-capital-sovereign-wealth-funds-gulf/?tpcc=recirc_more_from_fp051524) An illustration shows two men against a bright yellow background. One man wears a Western-style business suit and the other wears a black robe and white head covering. The men are shaking hands. Each holds a briefcase with money spilling out, the left man's briefcase shaped like the United States' and the right man's like the Arabian Peninsula. - [![A man in a coat outside of a glass office building, with high rise buildings under construction in the background.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/China-tech-dragon-development-tech-GettyImages-2187442299.jpg?w=800&quality=80)](https://foreignpolicy.com/2025/10/10/china-tech-ai-innovation-economy-stagnation/?tpcc=recirc_more_from_fp051524) A man in a coat outside of a glass office building, with high rise buildings under construction in the background. [China’s Tech Obsession Is Weighing Down Its Economy](https://foreignpolicy.com/2025/10/10/china-tech-ai-innovation-economy-stagnation/?tpcc=recirc_more_from_fp051524)By [Scott Kennedy](https://foreignpolicy.com/author/scott-kennedy/), [Scott Rozelle](https://foreignpolicy.com/author/scott-rozelle/) - [![Photos of two men speaking each shown as a negative color inside a red and blue circle.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Kissinger-brzezinski-realism-foreign-policy-illustratrion.png?w=800&quality=80)](https://foreignpolicy.com/2025/08/01/kissinger-brzezinski-trump-realism-realist-democracy-human-rights-us/?tpcc=recirc_more_from_fp051524) Photos of two men speaking each shown as a negative color inside a red and blue circle. Iran War - [![Missiles are seen in the skies over Doha on March 3.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/GettyImages-2263948504.jpg?w=800&quality=80)](https://foreignpolicy.com/2026/04/07/iran-united-states-gulf-uae-qatar-bahrain-saudi-oman-war/?tpcc=recirc_featured_horizontal051524) Missiles are seen in the skies over Doha on March 3. - [![A billboard displaying pictures of nuclear scientists, centrifuges and a sentence reading in Farsi: " Science is the power", at the Enqelab square in Tehran, on August 29, 2025.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/iran-bomb-nuclear-trump-war-ayatollah-khamenei-2231892170.jpg?w=800&quality=80)](https://foreignpolicy.com/2026/04/07/iran-bomb-nuclear-trump-war-ayatollah-khamenei/?tpcc=recirc_featured_horizontal051524) A billboard displaying pictures of nuclear scientists, centrifuges and a sentence reading in Farsi: " Science is the power", at the Enqelab square in Tehran, on August 29, 2025. - [![The Albina Bulk carrier sits anchored on March 22, 2026 at Sultan Qaboos Port in Muscat, Oman.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/GettyImages-2267954580.jpg?w=800&quality=80)](https://foreignpolicy.com/2026/04/07/iran-war-hormuz-toll-booth-peace/?tpcc=recirc_featured_horizontal051524) The Albina Bulk carrier sits anchored on March 22, 2026 at Sultan Qaboos Port in Muscat, Oman.
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