Has Donald Trump "delivered" for Vladimir Putin as Robert Reich has suggested?
He did not, though not for the lack of trying. Professor Reich is correct, as far as I can tell, that the Russian autocrat’s deepest desire would be to have Americans drop the crippling, post-Crimea-annexation sanctions. That wish came to no fruition because the Republicans in Congress proved they had an ounce of common sense between them (though not much more than an ounce). Not only did they not allow discussions of dropping sanctions, but also imposed newer stricter ones on Putin's inner circle. Those sanctions on his cronies are where it hurts him more, since any national suffering can be dismissed as an indirect attack of the evil America (Russian press and media who jump when their dictator says, “Давайте, прыгайте!” are sensationally good at such spin). The US Senate also took away that power from their executive—an unprecedented move in mechanics of a government where most of the foreign policy is negotiated and decided by presidential administrations.As for destabilizing the government—sure, Putin has achieved what he paid his trolls for. Americans do distrust their government but that's mostly a result of general post-fact sentiment[1], built incrementally over decades in the fact-averse land where Mormonism prospers and science is under continuous attack. I would, too, be surprised to discover any evidence that this was a promise the Trump campaign would have made (though such evidence would not shock me, merely surprise).It's important to wait for the special counsel's conclusions because there is a litany of over-glamorized conspiracies and they do not help anyone look reasonable and measured[2]. Every time the left is proven even marginally wrong, the right-flank weaponizes and hypes up each instance[3].Thanks for the A2A, Mark.Footnotes[1] How the U.S. Lost Its Mind[2] Escaping The Conspiracy Trap: Masha Gessen at the Defiance Conference | MIT Center for Civic Media[3] Liberal media wrong about 2020
How did Pres Obama or Hillary Clinton respond to Putin's invasion of Crimea and could it have been better?
The US responded to Russian moves in Crimea in actions that made the situation worse. Instead of focusing the political power at their disposal in attempt to promote federalism and stability and therefore peace in the country, they chose to throw their weight behind the new revolutionary government.This government was corrupt, far-right leaning and saw the solution to the problem of Russian sepratism as arm as many militias as possible and escalate to full out civil war in the Donbass. The US decided against trying to steer a new Ukraine to peaceful co-inhabitance with Russians and other groups, it instead armed the Ukrainian-dominated governmentA thing to realise about Ukraine is that it doesn't really work properly as a ‘nation’ there are far too many distinct people groups ‘Russians, Tatars, Crimeans, Ukrainians etc.’ So when you support one group solely and prioritise its vision for the future you stigmatise the other groups.In conclusion, when a Ukrainian dominated far right government pushed away Crimeans enough that it sought out Russia for assistance, the US chose to further this effect to other groups (which already didn't trust the west) to look away from the idea of a Ukrainian nation as a whole. Result=civil warEdit: I would like to clarify, that by throwing weight behind and supporting the government in Kiev I do mean politically. As an answer points out Obama did refuse to arm the Ukrainian army and paramilitary with “lethal equipment”, however the act of publicly supporting the new Ukrainian government politically led to negative effects in the crisis
Is it true that Putin called Obama a “negro” once?
Putin has many negatives, but he is not stupid and is not racist in the US sense.Even if he used the word “negr”, which is very much in doubt, one should take into account that there is no “better” word in Russian. The translation “black” sounds worse. There is zero chance he used “negro”, it is not used in Russian.Privately he may use the slang-ish jokes related to any nation - French, English, Germans, Americans (black, white, brown), Jewish,…. reaching as far as Chukcha (Chukotka inhabitants)… Japan, China,… There are countless number of anecdotes in Russian, which would sound terribly inappropriate to the US public, but these are again not specifically racial.Russian jokes - WikipediaHe is probably now joking with the hairstyle of Trump (compared to his own lack of hair), as well as with Trump’s clear preference for Slavic wives.
Why does Putin hate Hillary Clinton so much?
He blames her for protests against him in Moscow during his last election.She and Obama have been mean to him because he invaded Ukraine.She and Obama have put sanctions on Russia in general and specifically on some folks in his circle, including a half-trillion dollar oil contract with Exxon.More generally, he’s not fond of us for expanding NATO in his neighborhood and for maintaining our “empire” and global influence while the Soviet Union collapsed.Plus, in general they are and have been our global rival. There are only three potential super-powers, we’re always going to be rubbing up against each other.Finally, Putin was raised in the Soviet Union and was a mid-level KGB agent, so there is no particular reason to think he wants to be our bestie.
Putin doesn't like Obama and neither does Trump. Is Trump getting back at Obama for Putin, the man he works for?
Putin is not about personal enmities and vendettas. He is smart, calculating, ruthless, and has a singular purpose: To make Russia (and by extension himself) more powerful.The USA is the most powerful country in the world. Destabilizing, humiliating, and internationally vilifying the USA is clearly in his interest, so that Russia can fill the power void and gain influence (see e.g. Syria and Turkey).Thanks to a bunch of gullible and childish US voters, Putin’s plan is so far a spectacular success.
Does Obama make dignitaries wait for hours before meeting like Putin has done many times, including the Pope?
No. To do as Putin does is incredibly unprofessional, unbecoming, and rude. The President may be called many things by the naysayers, but impolite is generally not one of them; nearly everyone agrees that he is an extremely gracious and welcoming person.
Will Israel come out and state that Putin is corrupt, as United States has?
Let's take a quick look. The most powerful man in the world according to Forbes, is Putin. Second place-Merkel, the third - Obama. If Obama was the first and Putin the third, then insulting Putin would sounded vulgarism even among the Chicago mafia. You know -code of honor, such stuff. But to insult a stronger personality than you yourself, it’s the last refuge of a looser. Further. Netanyahu is 8th on the list. To repeat the insult of Putin from this position he should be just a šmokhead. But despite of all his shortcomings, the last thing about him to say, that he is stupid.