Vladimir Putin is way out of Trump’s league
I normally refrain from commenting on geopolitical issues that often but the situation is extraordinary – and that’s saying something in an extraordinary era.
Vladimir Putin was greeted and treated as an equal by POTUS in Alaska. U.S. military kneeling to make sure that red carpet lies perfectly before Putin walked on it. Part of diplomacy, some are going to say. Part of protocol. Really? That statement doesn’t even deserve a comment.
I know people say that POTUS has a plan and he can’t possibly admire Putin. That there must be more to the story, surely Trump is playing some kind of game to fool Russia into complacency? It doesn’t seem so. If anything, Vladimir Putin has delivered, yet another, master class in precise ego-stroking. Paraphrasing Putin, ”If you were president before the war, none of this would’ve happened.” Oh, what an ego stroke for Trump in front of the world. In a classic mockery scenario, Putin pretended not to understand or hear the journalists asking him about all the killing of civilians in Ukraine. Surreal is an understatement but, sadly, it is exactly what those of us on the cynical (realistic) side expected to see. Putin plays the game well and he seems to be having fun along the way (or his double, who knows). The show goes on and people keep dying.
Using an age-old trick, i.e. switching languages as the conference was coming to an end, Vladimir Putin said in English, ”Next time, in Moscow.” The switching of languages was a great idea. It made Putin’s statement all the more powerful. When someone switches languages, what he or she says right after the languages are switched, the first few sentences, tend to get seared into our brains and, as a spy, Putin knows that. It’s like with hypermnesia, the opposite of amnesia, essentially – remember 9/11? If you do, then you likely remember where you were at the time and what you were doing. That’s hypermnesia. We vividly remember memorable events.
Putin uses lectures or mini-lectures because it’s an effective way to distract and propagandize. Not because he’s so nuts and doesn’t know what he’s doing. It’s a tactic, and a good one, at that. It confuses his enemies and they lose the plot. Expect the bombardment of Ukraine to continue, further humiliating Trump. I am a bit puzzled by the naivety of so many Trump-worshippers who really believe POTUS is some kind of a miracle-worker. That there surely must have been a different conversation behind the scenes and it’s all a part of Trump’s larger plan. Are you sure about that? Seems to me like Trump is being played like a fiddle here and a lot of people agree with me on that. Not good at all. I’d love to believe that but, it seems, what we see really appears to be what we get. And if you are someone that doesn’t sing from the Putin praise songsheet, you won’t be invited as a ”counterproductive presence.” Richard Nixon looks like a brilliant man now by comparison.
For Israel, all this likely doesn’t mean much, but for my region (CEE) it looks like a disaster in the making. The trajectory is here: this conflict is going to expand, and likely soon. Conferences and talking won’t change anything. Putin once said something along the lines of, ”We’re bored, we start wars.” Yep. That’s his real motivation. Russia is a sneaky and formidable enemy. I understand certain TV programs where they laugh at Russia and ridicule Russia. That’s their job. But it’s a mistake not to take Russia seriously, in my opinion. Hubris before the fall and all that.
Indeed, quoting the news
He is in the city of Kharkiv, and reported: “Just moments ago, as that sort of inconclusive press conference was ending, we heard the air raid sirens go off here.
“We didn’t hear them going off throughout the summit, but perhaps on cue, we heard them a short while ago, and those are an indication that there is a Russian drone or missile attack in or around this area.”
Well, there you go. Shocker. All those experts who claim to read Putin’s mind are living in a bubble of mutual admiration that has little to nothing to do with reality. Europe is in big trouble and that’s not paranoia or hyperbole. I wish it was. It seems that for most war criminals, justice won’t be found on this plane of existence. Now, on a lighter note (depends who you ask, though). Speaking of the afterlife, what’s going on in hell? Hmm. Let’s see. The swan lake and Ukrainian room hell aimed at Russian propagandists is definitely delivering results.
Seems there might be a change of dance torture in the Hebrew Hell to something less cha-cha-like. Hell’s management has endless options to choose from. No wonder the damned want to get out of there, back to their former lives, for as long as they can before being dragged back to hell. The thought reform of Israel’s enemies, from all walks of life and representing all levels of intellect and influence, is going well. There are better ways than fire and brimstone. As language is an important part of identity, making the former enemies speak Hebrew is an awesome tactic.
