Trump, the ‘Loser’

As Roy Cohn lay dying, one profound regret haunted him: the creation of Donald Trump. Despite molding him into a powerful figure in New York real estate, Cohn lamented that Trump never offered genuine gratitude. Instead, he viewed Trump as a “loser,” embodying the very traits he had once championed. This realization left Cohn disillusioned, reflecting the complex legacy of a man whose ambition ultimately resulted in disappointment.

Yeltsin’s Legacy

A similar scenario unfolded in Russia, where leaders such as Boris Yeltsin laid the groundwork for a new political elite. Boris Yeltsin, often denounced as a paragon of political avarice, established the foundational architecture for systemic corruption within Russia’s political framework. His administration heralded a tumultuous era where the monopolization of wealth became the exclusive privilege of a select oligarchic class. This malignant trend was not merely perpetuated but exponentially exacerbated under Vladimir Putin, who not only safeguarded the fortunes of the old oligarchs but also meticulously cultivated a new cohort of oligarchs—the “Siloviki”—who are inextricably linked to the state security apparatus.

West’s Naive Embrace

For decades, this nefarious system flourished unimpeded. The West, in its naive optimism, extended a welcoming hand to Putin, erroneously embracing him as a reformist saviour within the global political arena. Such misguided approaches echo historical missteps, as evidenced in nations like Ukraine, where Western leaders’ uncritical support for figures like Viktor Yanukovych inadvertently entrenched corrupt practices further.

Kremlin’s Elites

Imagine, amidst the chaos and brutality of war, as Russian soldiers commit atrocities in Ukraine, a group of high-ranking officials from the Kremlin gathers in a lavish, dimly lit room. Having just concluded one of their indulgent orgies, they sit together, cloaked in an air of impunity. With glasses raised, they conspire, exchanging twisted laughter and conspiratorial whispers about their machinations. Well, the entrenched criminal elite of the Kremlin now faces an existential crisis, ensnared in a meticulously devised trap in Ukraine—one that constricts with each passing day. This strategic blunder signifies not only a catastrophic miscalculation but also a burgeoning crisis from which recovery may be elusive. As the situation escalates, an acute sense of urgency permeates the air—time for decisive action is rapidly waning.