Nima Rostami Alkhorshid:

1. Can you summarize the key points of Dimitri Orlov’s recent article “How Donald Went to War”?
2. What is Orlov’s perspective on Trump’s ability to influence the outcome of the Ukraine conflict?
3. How does Orlov view the MAGA movement and its impact on U.S. foreign policy?
4. What challenges does Orlov identify in revitalizing U.S. industry, especially regarding gender roles and drug use?
5. How does Orlov foresee Russia handling the future of Ukraine, particularly the Western region?

Dmitry Orlov:

1. The article critiques U.S. involvement in Ukraine as misguided, predicting inevitable Russian victory and NATO defeat. It also highlights Trump’s inability to change the trajectory of the conflict.
2. Trump cannot significantly alter the Ukraine situation because he lacks leverage over Ukraine or Russia, and U.S. support for Ukraine is depleting resources needed elsewhere, like in Israel.
3. MAGA has failed both domestically and internationally; Trump’s policies were unrealistic, and his administration has largely abandoned fiscal conservatism while failing to reduce U.S. global entanglements.
4. U.S. industrial decline is tied to cultural shifts favoring women and soft skills, along with widespread drug use, making it difficult to rebuild a disciplined workforce necessary for manufacturing.
5. Russia will likely demilitarize and denazify eastern Ukraine, while the western part may become depopulated and lawless, eventually resettled by Russia if left unclaimed by the West.

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