Fiona Hill

You know, I think that we're going to look to more regional bases of power.

But of course, the United States and China are both going to still, well, the United States still, let's say, is still going to have the ability to shape things in the world.

And China is increasingly going to have more ability, particularly in terms of technology, research, education, all kinds of innovation to shape the way that everybody else responds.

But I wouldn't rule out India, Brazil, even South Africa, which the United States seems to be in a fight in at the moment.

and European countries, perhaps not in the EU configuration, but there's just been such a jolt to Europe that, you know, we shouldn't rule out some constellation of European countries, maybe in Northern Europe, Scandinavians, the Baltics, the Poles, you know, and others actually really stepping up there, you know, in response to what's happening, especially what's happening in Greenland and becoming much more military place.

Finland is significant, you know, as a military.

We've

Things could change quite a lot in this next decade.

Yes, and Poland is spending about 5% now of its GDP.

Well, and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, which was actually Europe's biggest country and most significant for that period up until when you're talking about.

It's how they think about power and the manifestation of power.

They don't think about we the people, as in, you know, you are, what is it, 340 million people who live in the United States or the 140 million and declining in Russia.

They don't think anybody has agency apart from big guys.

And usually men, of course.

And if there are no checks and balances and you have unfettered power, then that is kind of the epitome of might and might makes right.

As Trump himself has said over and over again, I mean, most recently in the New York Times lengthy interview, he sees no constraint whatsoever.

apart from his own.

And that's how they see Putin.

And indeed, Putin has whittled away all of the checks and balances in his system.

He seems to be at this pinnacle of this vertical of power and to be unchecked, unconstrained in every way imaginable.