Trump, Bibi, Putin: The dying of order and the march into madness

Alliances fracture and authoritarians collide, as Trump, Putin and Netanyahu push the world into an unmarked minefield. Dave Donovan issues a stark warning.

ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER Benyamin Netanyahu’s statement this week, 19 August 2025, that “history will remember” Australian PM Anthony Albanese as a “weak politician who betrayed Israel and abandoned Australia's Jews”, is a sign of the rapid disintegration of the world’s rules-based order — or what we had come, since WW2, to regard as the commonly held perception of such a thing.

It was always somewhat illusory, this so-called order, but the Israeli PM has thrown yet another stone into the global pond with these intemperate statements, thus stirring up its already murky waters.

Meanwhile, to shatter the scene entirely, came U.S. President Donald Trump’s meetings with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and the leader of the nation he has beset and besieged, Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy. To all intents and purposes, in these public chats, Trump suggested that the country he leads supports Putin’s renascent empire, which was just a generation ago America’s bitterest Cold War nemesis. And also that the U.S.A. has abandoned its fledgling ally, Ukraine.

Meanwhile, an ancient and ineffably patient dragon idly suns itself by the pool, watching these aquatic activities. It might snack on one of these tiddlers later. Or not? Who knows.

Such as little fish Israel and Australia, former fierce allies, now in contretemps. Maybe even bigger prey, such as Cold War enemies become seeming allies, though of course, Russia is playing Trump, Putin pushing the parvenu New World nation to disintegrate under an impotent potentate. Both Russia and China have seen and suffered more than a few in their time. In short, the old world order is stone dead. And anyone who fails to comprehend this is perhaps stuck in a 1950s-era fallout shelter. Or maybe the Stone Age. Which humanity may soon revert to if things don’t go a certain way.

The spat between Australia and Israel is, of itself, probably of little import in terms of the overall global machinations. Two smallish, yet well-armed, nations that act as relatively distant regional outposts of the current global hegemon are having a petty squabble. No big deal — except it is emblematic of the wider malaise.

The fracas arose because Australia, one of Israel’s most enduring and profoundly loyal allies, decided it could no longer ignore the flagrant human rights abuses and war crimes being carried out in the latter in its occupied territories. So its current Government did what 146 of 206 United Nations member states had already done since Israel occupied this formerly British-mandated region, Palestine, in 1948 and at long last condescended to recognise this purloined place as a nation. Australia's epically overdue concession is set to be formalised at a United Nations Assembly in September.

Israel, however, being the United States’ closest ally, major armaments recipient and by far most-prized protectorate, felt free to disparage Australia – another of America’s most loyal, long-term war allies and most compliant stooges – including via petty diplomatic tactics. America supported Israel in this fracas and condemned Australia’s actions in further isolating Israel within the world community, it now being supported by America and a dwindling number of other Western nations. This is a sign of an empire in decline. Of a dysfunctional global system spinning further out of control.

But what even more vividly demonstrates America's frenetic descent towards disaster is Trump’s meetings with Putin and Zelenskyy. The exuberant pictures of Putin and Trump, snug together, contrasted with the smug and solemn expressions on the respective faces of Trump and Zelenskyy, told as much as the meagre gruel emerging from the two meetings. In effect, Trump granted Putin his every demand, while Zelenskyy was told by the American to surrender part of his nation’s sovereignty to Russia. Because, said Trump, Ukraine is weak and Russia is strong.

This was in keeping with the outrageously unstatesmanlike dismissal of the national aspirations represented by Zelenskyy at their earlier Oval Office summit cum fiasco. Then, Trump scornfully told Zelenskyy he had “no cards”. This time, he said the same, but with a little less bumptiousness.

It is clear that Trump is an agent of Moscow – through Putin – at least in some capacity. What exactly Putin has over Trump is unclear. What we do know is that Trump is a liar and a fraud, who is willing to use the perquisites of office in the venal pursuit of his own personal gain. It might be that Putin has promised Trump some prime Russian – or even Ukrainian – freehold upon which he might establish another of his gaudy casinos, glittery resorts and gold-ticket-only golf courses.

Or it could be that Putin has something over Trump and is blackmailing him. We know that Trump is a notorious self-professed philanderer and convicted sex offender. And that many other alleged victims have come forward seeking justice. We know that he was mentioned in an apparently official dossier relating to certain salacious activities in a Moscow brothel. We know he was friends with the late Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted purveyor of underage persons for the sexual gratification of many of Trump's acquaintances. And that he has recently refused to release the Epstein files, which allegedly mention his own involvement in such sordidness. And that he has recently remitted Epstein’s partner in crime, Ghislaine Maxwell, convicted of enabling Epstein’s notorious activities, into a more minimal sort of detention, apparently beyond his legitimate remit as President.

We also know that Putin is a former head of Russia's former KGB spy network and so may have a detailed dossier able to ascertain whether Trump was a party to any such nefarious crimes — something Trump has sweatily denied in recent times.

It could be speculated that Trump’s support of Israel, given his stated desire to turn Gaza into a beachside resort and casino complex, may not be entirely unrelated to Israel’s own renowned spy factory, also possessing similar documents to those of Putin. Independent Australia can merely speculate and deduce, as can any of us not privy to any such secret salaciousness.

On the other hand, China is seen as no slouch when it comes to state surveillance. Yet Trump and his gormless defence henchman, party-animal Pete Hegseth, both seem eager to engage China in some sort of military conflict, perhaps over another American pawn, Taiwan, also an oft-claimed integral part of the Chinese Communist Republic. Indeed, Australia has been asked to say if it would traipse off to another meaningless imperial adventure if America decided to follow through on this folly.

Australia showed its first sign in living memory of shrinking from slavish subservience to the States just a few months ago, when Hesgeth forced the issue, and Albanese mildly murmured that Australia was an independent nation and would make its own decisions as they arose — not based on incendiary hypotheticals. Good for Albo.

But does Trump’s belligerence towards China, also carried out through an illogical trade war, suggest Chinese spies have been unable to find any candid snaps Trump may fear being exposed? Perhaps this means Trump is, if not as pure as driven snow, perhaps as fresh as day-old New York sleet. Or maybe not.

Perhaps it may just mean China, the ages-old master of strategic “Go”, is happy to let Russia implode America and destroy itself, then casually mop up most of the spoils. It is already well on the way to owning almost everything anyway.

The problem is, if America collapses and Israel is left friendless, the latter might – particularly led by a frustrated megalomaniac like Netanyahu – decide to unleash its nuclear arsenal. Probably obliterating as many Arabs as Israel can reach and, even more assuredly, all of Zion in the process. Does Israel have intercontinental ballistic missile capability? After all, their full nuclear arsenal has never been fully revealed, or even officially admitted. Could Israel reach Sydney with a tactical warhead? Or even Canberra? (Just asking for a friend.)

The waters may be murky, but the fish are clearly gasping, as a wise old dragon lurks, for now sedately waiting. The world is on the edge of a minefield, with the unwitting and witless alike being shooed into mortal danger by a bunch of madmen and manic opportunists.

Maybe hiding out in a 1950s fallout shelter ain’t such a bad idea after all?

Good luck. Try to stay safe.

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