TEHRAN - Nader Entessar, professor emeritus of political science from university of South Alabama says that “I agree with the notion that the US hegemony as a global superpower has been, and will continue to be, challenged by developments in the international arena.”

He adds that “There has not been any verifiable evidence of the Russian government's infiltration of the U.S. electoral system.”

Entessar says “Whatever interference may have occurred in the 2016 U.S. presidential election has been linked to attempts by private, and in some cases very amateurish attempts, by some individuals in Russia.”

Following is the full text of the interview:

Q: Shall we think of Russia collusion case as a mere political plot to destroy Trump or Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. elections is a fact? 

A: Given the gravity of the political charges against Trump and the damage being inflicted on American body politics, I think this affair is more than the usual political game played between the two ruling political parties in the United States.  However, the investigation is still ongoing, and we cannot make any definitive judgment based on what has been made available publicly.

Q: Robert Mueller is a Republican. So his defiance against Trump might show that the disaster is even beyond the imagination. What's your opinion on this matter? 

A: Mr. Mueller is a dedicated professional with a long record of law enforcement service at the highest level.  Mueller has been appointed to various Senate-confirmed positions by both Republican and Democratic presidents during his long career in the U.S. government. I am not sure what the Mueller investigation will reveal once it is completed, but so far Trump's vituperative outbursts have not derailed the Mueller investigations, and Mr. Mueller has stood his ground.

Q: In regard with some leaked information to the media, could it be something more than a political interference to change the result of the election? Could it be a sign of a deep security infiltration? 

A: We need to wait until the Mueller investigation has run its course before we can make any firm judgment.  The Mueller report could indeed be very damaging to Trump's presidency, or it could simply prove to be just a bump on the path of Trump's presidency.  We simply cannot separate fact from fiction at this point, and speculating about what Mueller will uncover belongs to the category of political gossip.

Q: If we are to accept the assumption that Russia infiltrated the U.S. governance structures, what do you think of the origins of this interference? 

A: So far, there has not been any verifiable evidence of the Russian government's infiltration of the U.S. electoral system.  Whatever interference may have occurred in the 2016 U.S. presidential election has been linked to attempts by private, and in some cases very amateurish attempts, by some individuals in Russia.  In other words, the publicly available evidence does not demonstrate the infiltration of the U.S. elections by the Russian government entities.  

Q: Some experts believe that the relations of Trump's family members, especially Jared Kushner, with a big multinational Mafia is the origin of such a vast infiltration into different layers of the U.S. political system and information structure. 

A: The Kushner family has indeed been involved in unsavory and underhanded business and political dealings.  So, it is possible that Jared Kushner may have played an important role in the alleged Russian infiltration of the U.S. political system.  But we need to have verifiable evidence and not speculation to determine Jared Kushner's role in this affair.  Robert Mueller's investigation or other investigative reporting may unearth some evidence about Kushner's shenanigans.  

Q: A look at the U.S. policies since 2016 shows how its position as a superpower has been undermined while at the same time, Russia has been strengthening its international position. What's your opinion on this matter?

A: I agree with the notion that the U.S. hegemony as a global superpower has been, and will continue to be, challenged by developments in the international arena.  However, I do not believe that Russia's position has been strengthened in a major way at the global level.  The Soviet Union was a global superpower; the post-Soviet Russia is a regional power.  As such, it has not been able to offer effective countermeasures against America's global domination.

Q: Less than one year, some western media revealed that some people in Kushner's inner circle (such as Senator Tom Cotton) had relations with Mossad and spied on the U.S. Senate intelligence committee. At the same time, some other media talked about Russia's infiltration into Mossad and even their infiltration into Israel and the U.S. security intelligence structures. Do you think that there are any relations with the Russia collusion case and other infiltration claims? 

A: Again, what you have mentioned could be true, and the Mueller investigation may indeed unearth some of the accusations against Jared Kushner and his inner circle.  These are explosive charges that require verifiable empirical evidence.  Until and unless we have such evidence, media speculation will not be very helpful.