Facebook.com, November 2, 2016

This is for my high school classmates, patriots and anti-communists all:

Remember our debates in Mr. Santos’ social studies class? And how one weekend, you watched Red Dawn to the end and enjoyed it? I walked out half way through because I couldn’t stomach the Cold War propaganda. 30 years later, I’m still the same person. Except that I’ve devoted my life and career to studying, writing, and teaching about Russian and Eastern European politics. So if you read this, please consider the source. And please understand that I am not joking, being sarcastic, or exaggerating. This is entirely serious.

This is also about national politics. I am not interested in telling you how or what to think, much less how to vote. However, I do feel a deep responsibility to share with you some of what I know because I love my country and, like all of you, I want the best for us all.

I think we can all agree that our mainstream media has failed in many ways in coverage of this election. One of those ways has been coverage of the Kremlin’s influence in our elections and Vladimir Putin’s attitude towards Donald J. Trump.

More will become public about the former in coming days and weeks. Regarding the latter, Russian media has been advocating for Mr. Trump on Russian airways, day and night, for months. I hear this: it is part of my job to listen. For those who understand the Russian language and hear what is said, there is no ambiguity about the fact that the Kremlin wants Mr. Trump. The question, you might ask, is why?

There are many reasons for this, including the fact that Secretary Clinton’s husband presided over Russia’s humiliation in the 1990s, and that she herself is known in Russia as a hawk and restless interventionist and democracy promoter.

Concerning Mr. Trump himself, the word President Putin has used to describe Mr. Trump provides a clue. The word was “iarkii.” Mr. Trump said this meant genius, or brilliant. Despite consistent efforts by American scholars of Russian studies to call attention to this error, our media did not correct the mistranslation. Used about the sun, it means bright. Used about a person, the word means something closer to “colorful” or “vivid.” In Russian, it’s the kind of word you might use to describe a flamboyant actress. Used to describe a U.S. presidential candidate, it is emphatically not a compliment.

Mr. Trump speaks of getting along with Russia, but President Putin is openly and publicly derisive of Mr. Trump–all the while promoting his candidacy. It would seem that President Putin would like to see Mr. Trump elected because he sees Mr. Trump as weak. If Mr. Trump is elected, President Putin will deal accordingly. Mr. Trump, for all of his strengths, will be no match for President Putin.

A weakened United States will mean a dramatically strengthened Russia with an expanded global sphere of influence–and a cascade of economic and political changes to come here in North America.

Such a scenario may seem acceptable to some. It is not for me to judge. But please do consider the possible implications, because this would not be a small shift in the global balance of power.

If Mr. Trump should gain the Presidency of the United States of America, I have three words of advice for you: Start learning Russian. If you don’t learn, then at least encourage your children to do so. They very well may need it.

Thanks for reading.