Alarming news for US citizens living in any authoritarian country, not just Russia. Imagine if Chinese President Xi asked to interrogate Americans. Can we no longer count on US government for protection?
Trump’s willingness to hand over an American diplomat to a hostile foreign state profoundly changes the meaning of America and being an American in our world.
Eg. When my husband received death threats as a foreign journalist in Beijing, we had to decide whether our children would be safe in China. We consulted many experts and US officials, then decided we would likely be safe because the US government would protect us as US citizens.
If we were still in Beijing and something like that happened now, under Trump, I would have *zero confidence* in the ability of the US government to protect me and my family. I would flee that country immediately.
Similarly, I would imagine that other NATO members now realize they can no longer count on the US to protect them from attack and will plan accordingly, assuming that the US is actually their *adversary* now.
The US President is not just a major national security threat, he is now a *global* security threat. Every strongman authoritarian in the world is going to seize this opportunity to entrench their rule.
