RONALD G. SUNY

Putin is a formidable foe indeed. He is not a transitory danger to the West, for Putin intends to stay in power for the next sixteen years at least. But Western characterizations of Putin, and of Russia, are really caricatures that prevent an accurate reading of Russia’s role in the world.

Americans are continually perplexed by what our foreign policy actually is. The liberals shake their head in confusion, nostalgic for the Cold War clarity of who the enemy was; the conservatives avert their eyes not wishing to contradict the regime that has cut their taxes and tamed the resentful working class.

A majority of Americans believe that Trump’s incompetency has led to the sickness and death sweeping the country. But the current Democratic alternative to Trumpism is uninspiring.

Americans are divided in their politics, their beliefs, and their values. Moderate voices call for unity, harmony, and working together, all of which are praiseworthy goals. But reconciling the polarized opposites in American society is day by day becoming less possible.

The virus has exposed the deep inequalities that exist in each society and between different societies and made them worse. The poor get sick more often and die more frequently.