As the Trump era looms, geopolitical choreography finds itself stumbling, spinning unpredictably. Ideas that once seemed implausible in the Obama-Biden playbook now crawl out of the chaos, brushing off cobwebs. If domestic U.S. politics is living “the eve of the Trump revolution,” then foreign policy is firmly trapped in a Samuel Beckett production: Waiting for Trump.
Take, for instance, the sudden revival of an old script: deploying a European peacekeeping contingent to the contact line between Russian and Ukrainian forces. At first glance, it’s a bold stroke. At second glance, it’s déjà vu. History buffs may recall 1918, when Austro-German troops “protected” Ukraine’s independence from Bolshevik encroachment. Spoiler alert: Soviet occupation rolled in not long after.
Fast forward to now: Even Putin’s propaganda maestros would struggle to explain how European troops stationed in Ukraine fit his narrative of demilitarizing the country. Unless, of course, “demilitarization” suddenly includes inviting NATO’s next-door neighbors to tea.
But Trump, ever the dealmaker, approaches geopolitics like a garage sale—pragmatic but short on historical nuance. His endorsement of a European peacekeeping force might inadvertently serve as the founding moment for unified EU military power, reducing the U.S.’s role in European defense. Strategic genius? Perhaps not. The architects of American bases in Germany weren’t novices, after all.
Meanwhile, Russia, battered and humiliated in Syria, turns east, prostrate before China. Dmitry Medvedev’s recent three-day wait in Beijing for a warm handshake sums it up. Beijing, ever the linguist, still refers to the Russian invasion and genocide in Ukraine as the “Ukrainian crisis,” as if politely skirting an unpleasant dinner table topic.
The geopolitical theater of the absurd spills over into the media. Leaks and rumors churn the information sphere, from dire congressional reports on the termination of U.S. aid to ominous whispers about Putin’s clandestine strikes. The goal? Blackmail Ukraine, fracture its alliances, sow doubt.
And yet, amidst the swirling chaos and fevered anticipation of Trump’s geopolitical encore, Ukraine remains unyielding. Like Gibraltar, it weathers wave after wave of military and information assaults. The resilience of its people mocks the absurdity of the stage around them.
Glory to Ukraine!
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