Watching Trump and Starmer Reminded Me of Power and Fear

Watching Trump and Starmer at the Oval Office today brought back a lesson from my MIT days—something my professor, Suskind, a world leader in conflict resolution, said in class back in 1999: 

“Great nations do not concern themselves with love or even respect; they seek to be feared. America must be feared, not respected. Between the unequal, there is no love—only power. Those who envy you can never love you; they can only fear you.” 

Unsettling as it sounds, his words capture a fundamental truth about global power. Respect is often conditional, love is idealistic, but fear—fear commands obedience. History has shown that empires do not endure by being adored; they survive by making defiance costly. The strong do not ask to be loved; they ensure they are never ignored. 

Envy breeds neither love nor loyalty—it breeds resentment. Those who covet your position or power will not embrace you; they will either conspire against you or be forced into submission. Fear, then, is the great stabilizer, ensuring that even those who despise you dare not challenge you. 

America understands this balance well, especially in its approach to Russia. Washington knows that Russia is too powerful to be bullied into submission. If Europeans believe Russia can be subdued, they are welcome to try—but history suggests otherwise. Even at the height of its imperial dominance, Rome avoided direct confrontation with the Chinese Empire, recognizing that such a clash could lead to mutual destruction. 

Trump, unlike many of his predecessors, understands that a direct military confrontation with Russia would not only be catastrophic but would also play directly into China’s hands. He knows that should America and Russia engage in open warfare, Beijing would be the ultimate beneficiary, exploiting the chaos to fast-track its rise above both. The true game of power is not just about crushing an adversary but ensuring that, in doing so, you do not weaken yourself to the advantage of a greater rival. 

I’ll give it to Trump when, on the issue of whether Ukraine would get back from Russia its lost territory in the war, he bluntly told Starmer: “You and I can talk about it as much as we want, but that won’t change anything.” This position taken was to show that it’s beyond our power to make that decision, which should be Russia’s. I love that because it’s a display of geopolitical power balancing and reciprocity.