Putin’s Ideal ‘Wish List’ for Wrecking the U.S. Is Now… Fulfilled

Let’s try a little thought experiment. What would Vladimir Putin’s perfect ‘wish list’ for wrecking the United States look like?

Almost since its inception, modern/Communist Russia and the U.S. have been bitter antagonists if not outright enemies — until now. Putin and the KGB (now renamed the FSB) have been playing a ‘long game’ with the U.S. for decades and doing everything in their power to weaken their greatest adversary.

If Putin and his intelligence services managed to create or incite everything on their ideal ‘wish list’ for the U.S., what would that list include? It’s hard to get inside the mind of the famously inscrutable, scheming Putin, but his dark wish list would likely include the following:

1. Undermine and weaken democracy in the U.S.

2. Weaken U.S. influence around the world.

3. Indirectly encourage oligarchy and rising autocracy in the U.S.

4. Knock the U.S. off its self-proclaimed moral ‘high ground.’

5. Foment internal divisiveness, strife, and increased partisan hatred.

6. Undermine the free press by pushing ‘alternative truths’ aligned with Russia’s interests.

7. Work to transform at least one of America’s dominant political parties into a more neutral or even pro-Russian party.

8. Cultivate and secure many American ‘human assets’ — both willing and less willing — to support and assist in the full realization of these goals.

The GOP flipped from intense anti-communism to being pro-Russian

To begin with, let’s look at the overall picture. Putin and Russia have already achieved most or perhaps all of these goals. Their ‘long game’ has been extraordinarily successful.

Here’s a particularly potent, indeed bizarre, example. Remember when the Republican party, the GOP, was staunchly anti-communist and anti-Russia? A decade ago, the GOP would never have excused Putin’s war against Ukraine or expressed pro-Russia ideas and values. Yet in 2025 we’re stuck with a totally remade GOP that often parrots Russian talking points and refuses to condemn Putin’s warmongering OR his crushing brutality at home. Trump has even called Zelensky, Ukraine’s elected president, a dictator — while refusing to say the same about Putin. (See #7, above.)

Wait: what Twilight Zone surrealism have we fallen into? What changed so drastically? Two of the most obvious changes were the rise and re-election of Donald Trump and the simultaneous rise of Trump-loving Fox ‘News’ and right-wing media. Weirdly, the rising power of these ‘conservative’ forces culminated in the GOP’s total abandonment of its former hardline stance against Russia and Putin. Suddenly, you can be pro-Russia, pro-Putin, and even pro-dictatorship and still be considered a ‘patriotic conservative.’ What the… ?!

To me, it’s clear as day that Trump is either a willing or semi-willing Russian asset and has been for several decades. Fox ‘News,’ far-right media, and a fawning GOP have succumbed to (and support) his endless lies and treachery — including his adoration of Putin — and become semi-willing Russian assets themselves. Of course, they would never admit this, even to themselves — but the on-the-ground facts and trends support this view.

Over the past decade, much of the U.S. ‘conservative’ movement has been coopted by Putin and his ‘useful idiot’ Trump — and this remarkable and devastating transformation has advanced and supported ALL of Russia’s goals for the destruction of the U.S. Every… single… one.

Putin couldn’t be happier.

Fomenting internal strife and intense partisan hatred

I won’t bore or exhaust you with lengthy examples of the fulfillment of the eight ‘wish list’ items described above. Rather, I will focus on just two or three of them — which should suffice to show how these goals are all interconnected and operate in a devious, powerful manner to subvert and ‘conquer’ the U.S. from within.

Take #5, Russia’s aim to “foment internal divisiveness, strife, and increased partisan hatred.” Partisan hatreds and loyalty have spiked over the past decade, and the rise of Trump and MAGA have encouraged intense division and strife all across the U.S. We are at each other’s throats. Meanwhile, paranoid, fringe conspiracy theories like QAnon and ‘Stop the Steal’ have morphed into accepted ‘populist’ movements (even though there’s nothing ‘populist’ about them). They and ‘Trumpism’ have infected both right-wing politics and interpersonal communication throughout the U.S.

Due largely to the influence of Trump, MAGA, and far-right media, communication has broken down almost totally between ‘Trumpers’ and more liberal Americans. Marriages are breaking up, families are splitting apart, and brother is pitted against brother (or sister)— similar to what happened during our Civil War. Each ‘side’ deeply distrusts or even hates the other, and meanwhile… our democracy, society, and well-being all suffer tremendously.

While it’s hard to ‘prove’ that Putin and Russia are behind most of these trends, it’s not a stretch to say that Putin’s and Russia’s goal to “foment internal divisiveness, strife, and increased partisan hatred” HAS been accomplished… and is still wreaking havoc. Somehow, the U.S. keeps ‘mysteriously’ aligning with Russia’s goals.

Or perhaps, it isn’t mysterious at all. Maybe we’re just in big-time denial.

‘If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck — it’s a duck.’

Undermining and weakening democracy in the U.S.

Next, let’s examine goal #1, “undermine and weaken democracy in the U.S.” The fractious and imperiled state of American democracy couldn’t be clearer, after the U.S. has endured years of Trump’s lies about the 2020 election being ‘stolen’ — amid his ongoing refusal to concede that election. If Russia had meticulously planned the devious undermining of U.S. democracy, they couldn’t have come up with anything better or more potent than what’s actually happened here over the past five years.

Here we see — again — Trump, Fox ‘News,’ far-right media, and the GOP all expressing ongoing doubts, fears, ‘concerns,’ and/or paranoid conspiracy theories about (non-existent) election fraud and the supposed ‘cheating’ of the Democrats. Whenever the right loses an election, it’s almost always ascribed to problematic voting systems, ‘fraud,’ and other devious ‘liberal’ shenanigans. Yet somehow, when GOP candidates win, suddenly our elections are A-OK, there’s no fraud, and our voting systems work just fine.

This GOP and right-wing stance is both hypocritical and highly destructive to democracy. If elections are only considered trustworthy and valid when your side wins — democracy is effectively dead. Kaput. Over.

Once again, Putin couldn’t have asked for a better result. If all this wasn’t partially or fully orchestrated by Russia — which looks increasingly dubious — it might as well have been. The deepening collapse of democracy in the U.S. aligns exactly with Putin’s and Russia’s long-term aim to weaken the U.S. by destroying our semi-democracy from within.

Eviscerating the power of the free press

Lastly, let’s look at goal #6, “undermine the free press by pushing ‘alternative truths’ aligned with Russia’s interests.” No matter the reason, since Trump first started running for president in 2015 he has spouted an endless series of lies and ‘alternative facts’ and clouded many Americans’ perception of reality — or even turned it completely upside-down.

A perfect and chilling example is the way Trump has revised history and painted the vicious, deadly January 6, 2021 insurrection at our Capitol as a ‘peaceful protest’ or even a ‘love fest.’ Trump — followed by Fox ‘News’ and almost the entire GOP — now refuses to call it a riot or admit anything wrong happened that day.

Together, they have succeeded in covering up the true nature of that fateful uprising, to the point that Trump and his followers began referring to lawfully-convicted rioters and insurrectionists as ‘hostages’ or even the ‘J6 patriots.’ Then, on the first day of his second presidency, Trump astounded the nation by pardoning all 1,500+ rioters — even the most violent and openly seditious. Shudder.

. . .

Yet, that’s not even the worst of it. Alongside all his lies, distortions, and deceptions, Trump has forcefully painted our mainstream media as the ‘fake news’ media and gone out of his way to insult and disparage them (i.e. ‘the failing New York Times’ or the ‘radical lunatic media’). He also loves to sue the media over supposed ‘bias’ and ‘Trump-bashing.’

Here we see America falling under the sway of a shameless con man, pathological liar, and (not coincidentally) avid Putin enthusiast. Trump and MAGA have successfully turned truth on its head and eviscerated our news media — and the entire GOP then fell in line.

News flash: this is exactly the way tyrants and dictators always operate — Putin included. A free, fair, and inquiring press is the mortal enemy of autocrats and dictators everywhere, so destroying the credibility and power of the press is crucial to fulfilling dictatorial ambitions — whether these ambitions are Trump’s, Putin’s, or both together. A free and potent press is essential to the continuation and effectiveness of democracy.

So, once again, we see in the U.S. the highly effective undermining of our free press and the very notion of ‘truth.’ It’s also a well-known fact that Putin and Russia engage in massive, prolonged ‘disinformation warfare’ campaigns. And the destruction of truth, accurate information, and a strong press in the U.S. aligns exactly with Putin’s ideal ‘wish list.’ He couldn’t ask for any better (for him) result.

The rightwing in the U.S. is now aligned with Putin’s interests and plans. Bye-bye, democracy

What is the devastating bottom line that’s emerged in the U.S.? The political and social trends that have rocked the U.S for a decade are clearly aligned with Russia’s interests and goals, and the forces undermining and wrecking our nation are both potent and extremely effective. Russia’s long-range plan is working, and its effects on the U.S. are still intensifying.

The factual reality and dire effects of this potent ‘conquest from within’ are not in question anymore. The only thing that’s in question is how much of this takeover was planned and orchestrated using American assets and assorted ‘useful idiots.’

Unfortunately, the evidence increasingly points to deep U.S. involvement — since Trump, MAGA, and now the entire GOP have molded themselves into perfect Russian dupes. And the best part, from Putin’s point of view, is that none of these ‘patriots’ will ever, ever admit that this has happened. Their deep denial and self-deception also serve Putin’s ends, whether deliberately or not.

The fact is, Putin is now winning the ‘war’ against our democracy — with much help from Trump and GOP ‘patriots.’ It couldn’t have gone any better for him. Putin’s perfect wish list for destroying the U.S. is being perfectly realized.

Bye-bye, U.S.A. Bye-bye, democracy. Putin has won, for the immediate and foreseeable future. And we enabled our own demise.

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This post was previously published on The Left Is Right.

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