Vladmir Putin; Donald Trump (Credit: AP/Getty/Salon)
Whenever an autocrat or a dictator “wins” an election it’s always a diplomatic challenge for more democratic countries to figure out how to respond. In order for nations to have open channels of communication there has to be some basic acknowledgment of the legitimacy of the nations’ leaders. It’s not a simple issue.
Recall that in 2012 there was a tremendous amount of hand-wringing over whether President Barack Obama should congratulate Vladimir Putin on his election “victory,” especially after a campaign in which Putin had been especially belligerent toward the U.S. The New York Times reported …read more
Source: Salon
