Decoding Trump's "strategic kindness" to Russia

US President Donald Trump. Photo: AP

President Trump has taken strong action to show that the accusations of his critics - that he is too close to Russia and President Vladimir Putin - are foolish.

The Trump administration announced on August 8 that it would impose tough trade sanctions on Russia in response to the alleged attempted poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in the U.K. The new U.S. sanctions, which are expected to take effect on August 22, will ban U.S. companies from exporting technology and other national security applications to companies funded or owned by the Russian government.

A US State Department official revealed that these sanctions could affect 70% of the Russian economy and 40% of the workforce.

Regarding this issue, Xinhua News Agency commented on August 9 that these new sanctions could overshadow the fragile hope of improving US-Russia relations after the Trump-Putin summit in Helsinki (Finland) in July.

This agency quoted Vladimir Vasilyev from the Institute for American and Canadian Studies as saying that Washington's move means the two countries are "sliding into an economic war" and bilateral relations are reaching "a point of no return."

According to Russian political scientist Yevgeny Minchenko, it is important for US officials to demonstrate that they are tougher on Russia than the Obama administration.

Trump pushes Russia to the limit?

Trump-Putin summit in Helsinki (Finland) in July. Photo: Getty

In an attempt to show that the Trump administration is not afraid to confront Russia when necessary, a senior White House official told Foxnews: “For anyone who thinks this administration is soft on Russia, I would say this: look at what we have done, look at our actions… This administration is really using the Reagan policy when it comes to controlling Moscow.”

Foxnews commented: These new sanctions show that Trump will not give Putin a "green card" for intolerable actions.

The good news is that the US now knows how to deal with the leaders of an arrogant Russia: not to back down and to hold back their fiercest tantrums until they feel they have been harmed. It worked for the Reagan administration and it will work for the Trump administration.

These new sanctions should be seen as part of a larger policy shift to ensure that Russia truly understands that it will pay a heavy price any time it attacks the West, NATO allies, or any of America's partners.

If anyone has studied history, this policy was known as the policy of containment towards the Soviet Union during the Cold War years. Now, thanks to Trump, this policy has "knocked the head" of Putin.

If you pay attention, you will see a lot of evidence that the Trump administration has taken many strong actions. First of all, Trump and his team have "cleaned up" what the Obama administration left behind regarding the Ukraine issue.

While Obama hesitated, wavered, and pondered the issue without taking any effective action, Trump is doing the right thing by providing weapons to Ukraine - something that should have been done years ago.

Don’t be surprised if Trump pushes for Ukraine to join NATO—something Russia sees as its worst nightmare. And if Trump is criticized for criticizing NATO members for their defense spending, the alliance is now increasing its budget and overall capabilities because Trump asked it to do so to counter Russia.

If one day NATO countries have to take down the “Russian bear” in the Baltic, the Black Sea or elsewhere, they will have to have “weapons” to deter and defeat any aggressive actions by Russia. And all because Trump asked them not to “freeload” on “Uncle Sam” (ie the US).

As for Syria, Trump has demonstrated that he will not allow his Russian-backed allies to get away with mass murder. When Syrian President Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons against civilians, Trump did not ignore it, but ordered airstrikes to make Assad pay the price.

Conflict within the US over policy towards Russia

In all fairness, however, it is true that the Trump team’s approach to Russia has sometimes left members of the foreign policy establishment in Washington frustrated. Rightly or wrongly, Trump likes to flatter his opponents, sometimes praising them, sometimes “pouring honey into their ears.” But is it true that Trump’s Russia policy remains unclear at this point?

Politicians who shape foreign policy need to understand that Trump can smile at America's adversaries while still working to destroy them and pursue national interests.

Make no mistake about it: flattery is weakness. The art of smart foreign policy is realizing that you have to work with dictators and tyrants you don't like.

Trump may not have a PhD in political science from Harvard, but he knows what to do with people no one likes or respects.