Empire in puppet theater. Why is Trump threatening and nobody's afraid?

Management by ultimatum, economical blackmail and theatrical gestures – this is the essence of Donald Trump's second term. This is how – in the bravado kind of talk-show, not diplomacy – he announced a 50-day ultimatum towards Russia. Either the Kremlin withdraws from Ukraine, or the US will introduce customs and secondary sanctions. The problem is, though secondary sanctions may be...