Trump policies work -- for Russia and China

These are strange times, when I find myself paying attention to politicians I once despised. Only in the time of President Trump would I care about what former Vice President Dick Cheney would have to say about Russian interference in the 2016 election. When delivering a speech before a business conference in Delhi, India, Cheney said, "There's no question there was a very serious effort made by Putin and his government, his organization, to interfere in major ways with our basic fundamental democratic processes. In some quarters, that would be considered an act of war." OK, let's face it, I still despise Cheney. But Trump's actions and attitudes make Cheney look like a liberal defender of democracy.

While former FBI special agent, Clint Watts, did not go as far Cheney's "act of war" suggestion, he did explain in a recent CNN interview that Trump is being played by Putin. In commenting about the closeness of Trump's campaign to Russia, Watts said, "The ultimate objective of Russia interference is to destroy democracies from the inside out. This (Trump's actions) is a dream come true for him (Putin) in terms of fomenting chaos, such that we can't focus on his active measures and his foreign policy."

[Senate panel vows full investigation of Trump's Russia ties as House panel flails]

From tweeting false claims that President Obama wiretapped Trump Tower to Trump's failure of the Republican "health" care bill even with control of the House, Senate and presidency, chaos reigns. Donald Trump started off as the Chaos Candidate and now is fully engaged at the Chaos President. Although not all of this chaos is a result of the Russian election interference, Trump's leadership into disarray strengthens Putin's hand. Whether intentional or not in the eyes of the rest of the world, the Trump presidency is bolstering Russia at America's expense. The question now is how deep the Trump administration's Russian connections go. And at what expense to our democracy? By all tweet accounts, Vladimir Putin must be rubbing his hands in delight.

The other world leader benefiting from President Trump's missteps is China's president Xi Jinping. Unlike Russia, China did not need to meddle in our elections to gain advantage, they just needed to stand by. By rolling back the Clean Power Plan (aimed at reducing emissions from coal power plants), ending the moratorium on coal leasing on federal lands and seeking to increase methane (a potent greenhouse gas) emissions, President Trump has essentially signaled (although not officially withdrawn) to the rest of the world he has no intention of honoring the Paris 2015 Agreement. Into this vacuum of leadership China has boldly stepped in.

In a New York Time's article, "China poised to Take Lead on Climate After Trump's Move to Undo Policies," reporter Edward Wong notes that since Trump's election senior Chinese officials have been taking the high ground on climate and showing leadership on the Paris Agreement. In response to Trump's recent actions to bolster coal and fracking, the China's state-run paper chastised the Trump administration for "brazenly shirking its responsibility on climate change." The editorial further critiqued the Trump administration for "undermining the great cause of mankind trying to protect the earth, and the move is indeed irresponsible and very disappointing." I suspect the other 174 country signatories to the Paris Agreement share this same sentiment.

[How will Alaskans talk climate change with the Trump administration?]

Previously the poster child for deadly smog and air pollution, China is not only asserting itself as the world's leader in climate policy but also in leading the world in the expanding clean energy economy. For the last several years China has been doubling down on reducing coal consumption and increasing their use of renewable energy. According to a U.N. report on "Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment 2016," China is the world's leading investor in renewable energy with $103 billion. In 2017, China is set to implement a pollution trading scheme that will allow China to join the 40 other countries that place a price on carbon; thus fueling more spending on low-carbon alternatives.

Wong also reports that China is reducing coal out of health concerns as well. He quotes Hisable Hilton, the founder of Chinadialogue, "China is cutting back on coal because of its cost to human health as well as its high carbon emissions. President Trump seems intent on reviving a 19th century energy source rather than pursuing the promise of the 21st century."

Want to make China great again? Hand them Trump's climate policies on a platter of coal. Want to embolden Russia? Keep the investigation twisting and smoldering for months.

Kate Troll, author of The Great Unconformity: Reflections on Hope in an Imperiled World, is a longtime Alaskan with over 22 years of experience in coastal management, fisheries and energy policy. She is a former executive director for United Fishermen of Alaska and the Alaska Conservation Voters. She's been elected to local offices in Ketchikan and Juneau.

The views expressed here are the writer's and are not necessarily endorsed by Alaska Dispatch News, which welcomes a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a piece for consideration, email commentary@alaskadispatch.com. Send submissions shorter than 200 words to letters@alaskadispatch.com.