If Moscow does not actually have any blackmail material on Trump – and if he is not thus a puppet of Russia – then he’s not doing a very good job of persuading us otherwise.
Consider … what would Russia like to see? Probably the following for starters:
- A further breakup of the European Union (EU).
- Widening divisions between the ‘Western’ democracies.
- Trade wars between the USA and its allies and neighbours.
- A return of Russia to G7 membership.
What actions has Trump taken?
- Encouraged those EU members who either will be leaving (the United Kingdom) or are growing restless about staying. His actions include openly supporting far-right nationalist parties in Europe – especially those in Russia’s former sphere of influence – who want to leave the EU.
- Sparked an endless series of rows and divisions with his virtually all of America’s allies and their political leaders.
- Begun trade wars with the EU, Canada, Mexico and others.
- Recommended that Russia be re-admitted to the G7 … regardless of their invasion of Eastern Ukraine, their annexation of Crimea, their assassination of journalists and opposition figures, their shooting down of a civilian airliner and their use of nerve agents in attempted murders on the streets of Britain.
All in all, we see a pretty close match between what Russia would want and what Trump is seeking to do.
And the US intelligence agencies have already unanimously concluded that Russia did interfere in the presidential election, with the aim of getting Trump elected. This is not Trump’s endlessly repeated claim of ‘fake news’ – this is hard fact: the conclusion of every single US intelligence agency.
Oh, and what else might Russia like to see? That’s easy: a ‘war’ between the US President and his own intelligence agencies. Well, they’ve certainly got that.
And they’ve got an American president who goes around sowing division, distrust and hostility both within the USA and across the wider ‘western’ world.
Another day, another series of insults tweeted to all and sundry … and another round of ‘fake news’ claims to disguise it all.
Vladimir Putin and the gangster-state of Russia – the true masters of fake news – must be laughing all the way to the many banks they’ve plundered.