Alan Zendell, October 17, 2026
2026 has not been a good year for the United States. It has been an even worse year for the stability of the world economy and our allies, and beyond that is the lingering possibility that looms larger every day that the wars in Ukraine and the Persian Gulf might both erupt into a nuclear war among the world’s superpowers. The Doomsday Clock, which is maintained by the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, stood at 85 seconds before midnight at the beginning of 2026, the closest it has ever been to signaling a human-made global catastrophe since it was initiated in 1974. With both wars raging, and Trump playing a major role in both, I shudder at what it will be set to as we enter 2027.
In the Middle East, the Trump administration has created a quagmire from which there will be no escape as long as he is able to make critical decisions about its future. Seventeen days before the midterm elections, Trump is using both wars as political chess pieces. Given his extreme narcissism, which leaves him unable to distinguish the difference between what’s good for America and what’s in his personal interest, we’re living in an extremely perilous time.
Trump has gone back and forth in the past month about ordering a massive bombing attack against Iran. He does it publicly on his personal social media site where the entire world can read his crazy rants. He is violently torn between wanting to blow things up in Iran, an insane need to extend his gangster tough guy act to the war, and fearing how resuming the hot war would affect the midterms. There’s no doubt in anyone’s mind that uppermost in Trump’s is holding on to power for the rest of his term, so he can continue to steal and line his pockets with our tax dollars. The prospect of how an enraged, out-of-control Trump might react to the resounding defeat he’s raining down on his party after the election is horrifying.
If you’re not convinced, consider what he has done to affect Russia’s Ukraine war in the past few weeks. Trump signed the Lindsey O. Graham Act Sanctioning Russia and Iran on September 18. The new law was to honor and reflect the views of the recently deceased Senator Graham who staunchly advocated for strong resistance against Vladimir Putin’s expansionism in Europe. But yesterday, Trump completely undercut the new law, which wasn’t even scheduled to go into effect until next week, by canceling sanctions on Russian diesel fuel exports.
The only certain result of that action will be adding several billion dollars to Russia’s war effort, which Putin desperately needs. Trump claims he’s acting out of concern for how dangerously high diesel prices are affecting average Americans and threatening America’s economy. But industry experts are unanimous in asserting that Trump’s gift to Russia will have very little impact on diesel prices. All Trump cares about is offsetting the tsunami of disapproval his actions have caused among voters.
In addition to handing Putin billions of dollars to expand his war efforts, he’s now blaming the world shortage of diesel on Ukraine, specifically on Volodymyr Zelensky’s decision to attack Russia’s oil infrastructure. Most people saw through that lie immediately. The shortage is, without doubt, a direct result of Trump’s attacks on Iran, and Zelensky’s decision was in reaction to Putin’s obvious attempts to destroy the energy infrastructure of Ukraine as winter approaches.
If that wasn’t clear enough, the sudden unexplained loss of support from SpaceX’s Starlink and Starshield systems left Ukraine unprepared and defenseless against massive attacks by Russia which are destroying Kyiv and killing unprecedented numbers of civilians. Trump says he had nothing to do with that, and Elon Musk, who owns SpaceX, says it was Trump’s doing, not his. Since both men are known to lie whenever it’s in their interest, I don’t believe either of them, and reliable sources in Europe and Ukraine leaked that Musk recommended the plan to Trump who wholeheartedly embraced it.
Trump also renewed his personal attacks on Zelensky, while our European allies pledged to continue to support Ukraine. But both European leaders and Zelensky have to tread likely since Trump’s antics are unpredictable, especially when his hold on political power at home is sliping away from him. Zelensky must walk a tightrope, because if Trump goes all out in his support of Putin, it’s unlikely that the rest of NATO can assure Ukraine’s survival.
Yesterday, the world saw Zelensky do what very few world leaders have dared to. He stood up to Trump in speeches and press conferences that were broadcast around the world. I can’t even imagine the courage that required as he watched his country being destroyed one piece at a time. If only America was led by someone who always put his country and its people ahead of his own personal interest.
