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Fiona Hill: U.S. Is ‘Canary in the Coal Mine’ of Democratic Decline

Trump’s former top Russia official talks to Foreign Policy about the former president, the economic dislocation fueling his brand of populism, and why America needs to get its act together.

By , a columnist at Foreign Policy and an adjunct professor at American University’s School of International Service.
Fiona Hill arrives to testify as part of the Trump impeachment inquiry
Fiona Hill arrives to testify as part of the Trump impeachment inquiry
Fiona Hill, the former top Russia expert on the National Security Council, arrives to testify as part of the impeachment inquiry into U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington on Nov. 21, 2019. BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images

Fiona Hill might be best known as a key witness at former U.S. President Donald Trump’s first impeachment hearings, where she exposed the administration’s efforts to get dirt on now-President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden by intimidating the Ukrainian government. As Trump’s top Russia advisor, Hill witnessed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s efforts to manipulate her boss, as well as Trump’s desire to rule like some of the authoritarian leaders he admired, including Putin.

Elise Labott is a columnist at Foreign Policy and an adjunct professor at American University’s School of International Service. As a correspondent for CNN for two decades, she covered seven secretaries of state and reported from more than 80 countries. Twitter: @EliseLabott

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