Richard Clarke: Why Putin and ISIS would love Trump to be President.
Clarke, chairman of the Middle East Institute, is former White House counter-terrorism czar (1993-2001).
http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/richard-clarke-america-enemies-influencing-election-article-1.2725718
Russian military units and ISIS terrorists are fighting and killing each other in Syria, but ironically the leaders of Russia and ISIS might both want the same candidate in the U.S. presidential election. Moreover, they might both be in positions to influence the outcome to some degree. These two foreign forces may help decide who the next American President will be.
For Vladimir Putin, the election of Donald Trump may undermine the NATO military alliance. Trump has said that the U.S. would not automatically defend its treaty allies and that we might withdraw forces from Europe and Asia. This weakening of the U.S. commitment to NATO comes at a time when the military alliance is seeking to deter Russia from threatening to annex the Baltic nations, as it did the Crimea.
For ISIS, the election of Trump would help them to validate the group’s contention that the U.S. is at war with Islam. That narrative has been a powerful tool for ISIS in recruiting people to join its ranks and commit terrorist attacks. Trump’s anti-Islamic remarks and proposals could, perversely, strengthen the terrorist group.
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