I do not expect the United States to descend into another civil war. But I would not be surprised if it does. For at no time in modern times has the US been more divided than it is now. What a shame its woes spring from nothing more substantial than its own hypocrisy and the refusal of some Americans to allow the democratically-elected Trump government to function.
No other US president has been more vilified than Donald Trump. The only thing that has yet to be thrown at him is, quite literally, the kitchen sink. Why, of all the preposterous things Americans would say about their own president, they now call him a Russian asset.
But what prompted the inclusion of Russia in the contentious aftermath of a presidential election that some poor American losers just refuse to good-naturedly concede? It is the allegation that Russia intervened in the election. And how did Russia intervene? By supposedly taking out advertisements in favor of Trump and against his opponents.
Russia has, of course, denied the allegation. But granting it did do as alleged, trying to sway the vote by means of ads is still far more civilized and democratic than the kind of foreign interventions America has been known to engage throughout much of its history.
Advertisements are, to a large extent, an American institution. They are perfectly legal. They are not subversive. If they can be a vehicle for commerce, why not politics? Judging by the kind of squirming and hair-pulling Americans are doing at the thought of alleged Russian meddling, one would have thought Vladimir Putin actually hacked the system.
But taking out ads? For God's sake that is porridge compared to what America has done to effect regime change all across the globe, from Latin America to Asia to the Middle East. The US has engaged in manipulation and military action, murder and mayhem, to prop up governments or to take them down. Don't make me enumerate them. You can Google them yourself.
In fact, right at this very moment, the United States is preparing to intervene, yet again, in the affairs of another country, the sovereign state of Venezuela. Now you can say everything you want about that failing country and its incompetent and abusive leader Nicolas Maduro.
But the bottomline is, the United States has absolutely no authority to dip its hands in Venezuela, not even if some Venezuelans are egging it to, including that Obama lookalike opposition leader who had the gumption to proclaim himself the new president, just like that. And the US just felt it had to back him up. Even if it itself cannot get over a few lousy ads.