Britain’s leaving the European Union will not only hurt the UK, but will also weaken the EU. Solidarity between the major powers is required to counteract the Russian threat on the EU’s Eastern border. Putin sees this as a chance to gain a foothold to re-create the Soviet Union. While China is more interested elsewhere for the time being (South Atlantic, Hong Kong, Latin America and Africa). The other large players could have been Brazil and India but both focused more on dictatorial progress than democracy and cooperation.
Game theory consistently shows that the best strategy is cooperation and compromise.
The combination of the UK leaving the EU plus the likely continuation of the Trump Presidency will injure future international cooperation when it is needed the most. Trump will do anything to stay as President since attempts to a fair vote may not be allowed to occur if the polls are against him or if he seems to be losing. The Russians fixed the 2016 election and they will be active again, especially as Trump has refused any controls, nor discussion of them, of the FBI and CIA to prevent the threat. Further his embrace of strong dictators coupled with his disdain for any international treaty (NATO, WTO, Paris Climate accord, WHO, G7, United Nations etc) has severely weakened the post Second Word War alliances.
The UK is also being led by a leader in the Trumpian mould, and also inherited a ridiculous Brexit stance that ostensibly was also helped along by Russian interference in its 2016 referendum.
Britain’s economy is likely to suffer the “worst damage of any country in the developed world, with a projected 2020 fall in national income of 11.5% amid un-budgeted, virus-related costs of £133bn. Germany’s shortfall in contrast will be 6.6%, the OECD predicted”. [The Guardian 14 June 2020]. This is happening not only because of the UK’s relative failure to suppress the virus but because economic restrictions coupled with a future isolated from Europe by BREXIT will, and is , causing a massive loss of confidence in investment and trade.
Putin must be rubbing his hands together in glee as his former opponents suffer and the EU is now in uncertain territory. Would a weakened NATO help, or even be able, to defend the EU’s borders without USA and UK support? Would the strength of negotiation and experience of the UK be missed as Russia rattles it sabres?
The danger is that Russia would move on from Ukraine and Georgia into the Baltic States and see no resistance, then up its interference by serving the dictatorial instincts of Hungary’s President as it gradually grabs back the States of the former Soviet Union. Note that the EU was originally set up to control German power and that France and the UK were the main stalwarts of such a policy. Without the UK, France is weakened and Germany has also seen a reduction in its power even though it is being urged by the USA to re-arm.
Do convince everyone you know to sign this petition before it is too late fo rall of us peace loving and fair minded people.