That matters, of course. Donald Trump and his allies have raised a variety of alternative explanations, ranging from blaming China to arguing that the hack of Democratic computers may not have happened at all , as if we all just imagined it.But if we accept the most obvious explanation as true, the issue of motive is the next question to consider in detail. It’s not enough to know Russia launched the attack; there’s value in knowing why.One of the more common explanations is that Putin’s government recognized the geo-political benefits of having Trump in the White House: the more the United States looks ridiculous, having an unprepared and unqualified television personality leading a global superpower, the easier it will be for Russia to exploit America’s self-inflicted wound.Putin’s intervention, in other words, created an opportunity for Russia to tell officials the world over, “You obviously can’t count on the United States to be a credible global leader anymore; just look at who the Americans chose as their president.”And while there may be something to this, let’s not forget that Russia has a financial incentive as well.The more Putin’s government became a source of hostility and instability in the region, the more President Obama imposed economic sanctions that did real harm to Russia. In fact, the combination of falling oil prices and U.S. sanctions have taken a severe toll on Russia’s economy.What does this have to do with interference in the American presidential election? Perhaps everything: as Politico noted, now that Trump is poised to take office, the sanctions may be eased or eliminated