Ukraine

We were mostly right about his hateful rhetoric, fundamental dishonesty, trade wars, admiration for foreign dictators, and wild inconsistency. But we overestimated Trump’s competence and work ethic. His ability to bring material harm to the United States has been limited by how little he works and how little he knows about the presidency.

It’s hard to overstate the importance of Ukraine to Russia: in addition to Greater Russia, there is Holy Rus. Now the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is independent, which has the potential to be a seminal event in the history of both countries.

What on the surface seems simply an esoteric argument over ecclesiastical jurisdiction is anything but. At the heart of the schism lie the ideological underpinnings for Putin’s new nationalism, and its violent manifestations in eastern Ukraine and Crimea.

Turning our backs on NATO will result in an uncertain future wrought with war and conflict that will cost America far more in the end.

Christians should not be overly concerned about Trump meeting Putin, for now at least.

What are America’s objectives with Russia? Most chatter about the Trump-Putin summit focuses on their personalities and Russian attempts to influence the 2016 presidential election. We at Providence, as Christian “realists” and Americans, prefer to identify strategic goals that enhance American security and global equilibrium.

Like it or not, the land of the free and the home of the brave has found itself smack dab in the middle of another Cold War with Russia. This time, the Russians have hit our shores with something we thought we had invented: social media such as Facebook and Twitter.

As daunting as it may be, closing the God gap is a necessary step to improving communication with Russia and other important actors in international affairs.

What does NATO need to do going forward? The short answer: more and less.