With the appointment of the former Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, General Michael T. Flynn, to the post of President-elect Donald Trump's national security advisor, the debate over America's proper relationship with the Russian Federation is now coming into sharp focus. Flynn is regarded as close to Russia's president, Vladimir Putin, so much so that he was seated at the lead at the lead table during the anniversary gala for RT (Russia Today), Putin's favorite vehicle for external propaganda. Whatever the truth about Flynn's personal view of Russia and its leader, the stark reality of the goals and methods of the Moscow elite must be part of any worthwhile analysis of U.S.- Russian relations.
