Thwarting American Initiatives

Jackson Diehl at the Washington Post runs through the laundry list of potential “tests” that the next U.S. president could face internationally.

Beyond the rogues are the regulars: the countries that depend on American attention, positive or negative, to fuel their own political cycles — and are good at finding ways to grab it when they feel ignored. There are Latin American demagogues such as Hugo Chávez, who need a Yanqui enemy, and small Eurasian countries such as Georgia, which need a U.S. shield against Russia. There are the Russians themselves — who measure their country’s power by its ability to thwart American initiatives.

We think it’s not fair to underestimate Russia’s willingness to the be first to test the new president.