Russian interference in favor of Donald Trump in the 2016 elections has been confirmed, apparently motivated by Russia’s desire to invalidate American sanctions and human-rights protections. Despite denials of collusion between the Trump Campaign and Russia, a few weeks ago the Trump White House made clear that it would not impose Congress-mandated sanctions against Russia for meddling in the 2016 election.

What scares me even more than the Trump team’s alleged "collusion" with Russia, which was once called Treason and is punishable by death, is how much money is being put into U.S Military Strong Power (front-line necessities for war as opposed to support for our military members and their families) and the waste that is already “rampant”. While Director of U.S intelligence Dan Coats warns the Senate Intelligence Committee that the federal spending policy "is threatening our ability to properly defend our nation”, Trump is demanding a Cold-War-style military parade that could cost up to $50M. Why?

NORTH KOREA and CHINA

Trump’s primary adversary may appear to be the nuclear threat of North Korea; but, if we’ve learned anything from Trump’s administration so far, it’s that appearances are often meant to be deceiving. While North Korea “makes friends” with South Korea and China stays largely neutral (for now) in support of its long-time ally, Russia is allegedly enabling North Korea to bypass UN Sanctions,profiting in the process, and offering to act as a “mediator to ease tension between Washington and Pyongyang". Meanwhile, on the home front, Russia has occupied Ukrainian territory and appears to be increasing armaments on their former border, most notably Poland.

In addition to any debt President Trump may owe Russia for collusion in the 2016 election, the US owes $1.2 Trillion to China, more than we owe any other country, and that's not counting the $1 Trillion we are set to borrow this year or the amount that President Trump’s companies owe China and Russia. But more concerning than these financial conflicts of interest are the wars we (and Russia) continue to propagate (and fund) in Afghanistan and the Middle East.

THE MIDDLE EAST (Team Saudi Arabia versus Team Iran)

America has had military operations in Afghanistan since 1979 and in Iraq, intermittently, for the last three decades, with Russia supporting the other side (see also 1 and 2).

For decades, America has supported Saudi Arabia as it tries to isolate Iran, Yemen, Libya, Somalia and anybody feared to be harboring terrorists in their neck of the world. Fearing Iran’s growing influence in Syria and Iraq, the US has historically allied with Israel and Saudi Arabia to support Kurdish rebellions in both countries, while Iran's ally Russia supports Syria’s Assad regime and, increasingly, the Iraqi government. But all this was before Trump’s presidency.

Trump's first overseas meeting as President of the United States was with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salma, a meeting that Saudi Arabia hailed a “historical turning point” in U.S.-Saudi relations. Nonetheless, after Iranian-backed Iraq seized oil-rich Kirkuk in late 2017, President Trump said the U.S. wasn't taking sides. Early in his presidency, Trump also promised to stop arming Kurdish rebels in Syria, a promise he repeated a year later.

Still, America, Israel and Saudi Arabia remain publicly aligned in their efforts to destabilize Russia-backed Iran, efforts that French President Emmanuel Macron calls “deliberate strategy for some” that could lead the World to War. Meanwhile, Trump has declared Jerusalem the capital of Israel, further alienating Syria and Iraq, which now appears to be turning to Russia for military and other support.

Iraq is not the only one turning toward Russia. Despite Russia’s support for Iran and Syria, Israel says its now counting on Russian President Vladimir Putin to keep confrontations with Iran and Syria from spiraling into war, and Putin appears eager for the task. Russia and Saudi Arabia have also strengthened their relationship in the name of Big Oil, agreeing to cooperate in world oil markets to “limit output in the future”. (Russian president Vladimir Putin and Saudi deputy crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, along with Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, are said to have played a key role in having OPEC rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia set aside differences to make possible the cartel’s first deal with non-OPEC Russia in 15 years.) With the US’s determination to dethrone Russia and Saudi Arabia as oil king of the world in 2018, with millions of US citizens including politicians profiting in the process, it isn’t hard to imagine a trifecta, should Russia and Saudi Arabia choose to include the US in future negotiations.

Considering all these things together, it's pretty clear how Russia is positioning itself for checkmate. America's moves - and, worse, the motivations behind them - are far less so, which may be more worrisome than a Third World War.