Oh! What a tangled web we weave,
When first we practice to deceive!
Remember when Putin invaded Ukrainian Crimea and the Donbas in 2014, and then proudly announced to the assembled Russian political 'glitterati' that Ukrainian Crimea is now part of the Russian Federation?
For Putin in 2014, the Maidan revolution was merely a mosquito which he thought he had swatted to death by simply annexing Ukrainian Crimea and openly invading Ukraine in the Donbas.
Then came the US-EU sanctions, and he faltered somewhat, having always believed that he had all the political aces up his sleeve.
But Putin, being Putin, simply whipped up a fervent nationalist sentiment amongst the Russian people and his puppet sidekick, Dmitry Medvedev, simply told them to 'tighten their belts'.
As reported in 2016 by the BBC,
"During a walkabout, Medvedev was confronted by a pensioner who complained about the government's failure to index pensions. The prime minister replied: "There is no money. But be strong. All the best. Have a good day, and good health," he added. Then he turned round and left." (BBC : 9th June, 2016) (my emphasis)
Enter the 2016 US presidential elections or, should I say, enter Donald Trump.
Putin simply could not contain himself when Trump commented that,
"If he says great things about me, I'm going to say great things about him," the Republican nominee said.
"I've already said he is very much of a leader. The man has very strong control over his country."(Allan Smith : Business Insider UK : Sep. 10, 2016) (my emphasis)
So Putin decided to "give Trump a leg up" in his presidential race against Hillary Clinton by hacking into the US Democratic Party computers and then letting Julian Assange, still holed up in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, release just that hacked information that will help Trump win the presidential race.
Assange, whose hatred of Hillary Clinton knew no bounds, duly complied with Putin's wishes, and then arrogantly used a reporters' legal right not to divulge the source of their information as a fig-leaf to cover up the fact that he received his 'hacked' information directly from the Kremlin.
Putin thought that he was 'home and dry' when Donald Trump received nearly 3 million popular votes less than Hillary Clinton but received an overwhelming amount of Electoral College votes that ultimately made him the president-elect.
Donald Trump will be inaugurated as the next president of the US on January 20th, 2017.
And now, ironically, the Maidan revolution that precipitated the sanctions regime against Putin and his cronies when Putin annexed Ukrainian Crimea and started his war with Ukraine, has wiped the smile off the faces of both Putin and Donald Trump.
President Barak Obama has just expelled 35 Russian diplomats about the row over the hacking of the US Democratic Party computers, and the release of specific information that they hacked by Julian Assange.
The fact that President Obama has given the expelled Russian diplomats ONLY 3 DAYS to leave the US has boxed in both Putin and Trump.
Around this 'sanctions-boxing-in' of Trump and Putin, Obama has placed barbed wire.
Trump CANNOT unwind this barbed wire to release Putin from these sanctions WITHOUT, in the words of Adam Schiff (watch video below), Californian Cogressman and member of the House Intelligence Committee,
"There's gonna come a time when President Trump is gonna have to come before the American people and explain why he's gonna take action vis a vis .. and it could be Russia or Iran or North Korea or China ... and he's gonna want to say that this is on the basis of the intelligence that he's received .. and he's not gonna want to have to share that intelligence.
So for him to belittle the quality of the work that the intelligence community does will ultimately belittle his own presidency, his own effectiveness, and call it into question.
So he's already ... I think ... damaging the country ... but he's also going to damage his own potential success ..."
The web of deceit that Putin has spun since the Maidan revolution is now coming to haunt him.
No amount of Kissinger's and Tillerson's can give Putin relief from the barbed wire that Obama has now spun around him.
The simple fact is that Putin now dare not tread on the toes of Trump because Trump, himself, has been boxed-in by Obama.
(to be continued)
(post script)
It did not take long for Putin to gingerly try to extricate himself from the barbed wire around Obama's actions.
This blog entry was posted on 30/12/2016 at 15:34 GMT.
Since then Putin has realised that he has to "tiptoe" around president-elect Donald Trump.
As the BBC has just reported 55 minutes ago (Current time: 19.22 GMT),
"Russian President Vladimir Putin has
ruled out a tit-for-tat response after the US expelled 35 Russian
diplomats amid a row over hacking.
He said Russia would not
"stoop" to the level of "irresponsible diplomacy" but would work to
restore ties with the US under President-elect Donald Trump.
Russia's foreign ministry had formally asked Mr Putin to expel 35 US envoys.
The country denies involvement in hacking related to the US election, calling US sanctions "ungrounded".
Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev accused the outgoing US administration of President Barack Obama of ending in "anti-Russian death throes". (BBC News : 30/12/2016)
The BBC further reports that,
"In a statement on the Kremlin website (in Russian), Mr Putin said: "We won't be expelling anyone.
"We won't be banning their families and children from the places where they usually spend the New Year holidays. Furthermore, I invite all children of American diplomats accredited in Russia to the New Year and Christmas Tree in the Kremlin."
He wished Barack Obama and his family a happy New Year, as well as Mr Trump and "the whole American people".
In a message on the presidential website, Mr Putin said that, with the accession of Mr Trump, "the two states, acting in a constructive and pragmatic manner, can take real steps for restoration of mechanisms for bilateral co-operation". (ibid BBC)
Does Putin not realise that such "fawning" behaviour towards Donald Trump has simply increased the barbed wire that Obama has spun around him?
(to be continued)
Then came the US-EU sanctions, and he faltered somewhat, having always believed that he had all the political aces up his sleeve.
But Putin, being Putin, simply whipped up a fervent nationalist sentiment amongst the Russian people and his puppet sidekick, Dmitry Medvedev, simply told them to 'tighten their belts'.
As reported in 2016 by the BBC, "During a walkabout, Medvedev was confronted by a pensioner who complained about the government's failure to index pensions. The prime minister replied: "There is no money. But be strong. All the best. Have a good day, and good health," he added. Then he turned round and left." (BBC : 9th June, 2016) (my emphasis)
Enter the 2016 US presidential elections or, should I say, enter Donald Trump.
Putin simply could not contain himself when Trump commented that,
"If he says great things about me, I'm going to say great things about him," the Republican nominee said.
"I've already said he is very much of a leader. The man has very strong control over his country."(Allan Smith : Business Insider UK : Sep. 10, 2016) (my emphasis)
So Putin decided to "give Trump a leg up" in his presidential race against Hillary Clinton by hacking into the US Democratic Party computers and then letting Julian Assange, still holed up in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, release just that hacked information that will help Trump win the presidential race.Assange, whose hatred of Hillary Clinton knew no bounds, duly complied with Putin's wishes, and then arrogantly used a reporters' legal right not to divulge the source of their information as a fig-leaf to cover up the fact that he received his 'hacked' information directly from the Kremlin.
Putin thought that he was 'home and dry' when Donald Trump received nearly 3 million popular votes less than Hillary Clinton but received an overwhelming amount of Electoral College votes that ultimately made him the president-elect.
Donald Trump will be inaugurated as the next president of the US on January 20th, 2017.
And now, ironically, the Maidan revolution that precipitated the sanctions regime against Putin and his cronies when Putin annexed Ukrainian Crimea and started his war with Ukraine, has wiped the smile off the faces of both Putin and Donald Trump.President Barak Obama has just expelled 35 Russian diplomats about the row over the hacking of the US Democratic Party computers, and the release of specific information that they hacked by Julian Assange.
And those Maidan precipitated sanctions have now been increased!
The fact that President Obama has given the expelled Russian diplomats ONLY 3 DAYS to leave the US has boxed in both Putin and Trump.
Around this 'sanctions-boxing-in' of Trump and Putin, Obama has placed barbed wire.Trump CANNOT unwind this barbed wire to release Putin from these sanctions WITHOUT, in the words of Adam Schiff (watch video below), Californian Cogressman and member of the House Intelligence Committee,
"There's gonna come a time when President Trump is gonna have to come before the American people and explain why he's gonna take action vis a vis .. and it could be Russia or Iran or North Korea or China ... and he's gonna want to say that this is on the basis of the intelligence that he's received .. and he's not gonna want to have to share that intelligence.
So for him to belittle the quality of the work that the intelligence community does will ultimately belittle his own presidency, his own effectiveness, and call it into question.
So he's already ... I think ... damaging the country ... but he's also going to damage his own potential success ..."
The web of deceit that Putin has spun since the Maidan revolution is now coming to haunt him.
No amount of Kissinger's and Tillerson's can give Putin relief from the barbed wire that Obama has now spun around him.
The simple fact is that Putin now dare not tread on the toes of Trump because Trump, himself, has been boxed-in by Obama.
Oh! What a tangled web we weave,
When first we practice to deceive!
Young girl at Maidan
(post script)
It did not take long for Putin to gingerly try to extricate himself from the barbed wire around Obama's actions.
This blog entry was posted on 30/12/2016 at 15:34 GMT.
Since then Putin has realised that he has to "tiptoe" around president-elect Donald Trump.
As the BBC has just reported 55 minutes ago (Current time: 19.22 GMT),
"Russian President Vladimir Putin has
ruled out a tit-for-tat response after the US expelled 35 Russian
diplomats amid a row over hacking.Russia's foreign ministry had formally asked Mr Putin to expel 35 US envoys.
The country denies involvement in hacking related to the US election, calling US sanctions "ungrounded".
Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev accused the outgoing US administration of President Barack Obama of ending in "anti-Russian death throes". (BBC News : 30/12/2016)
The BBC further reports that,
"In a statement on the Kremlin website (in Russian), Mr Putin said: "We won't be expelling anyone.
"We won't be banning their families and children from the places where they usually spend the New Year holidays. Furthermore, I invite all children of American diplomats accredited in Russia to the New Year and Christmas Tree in the Kremlin."
He wished Barack Obama and his family a happy New Year, as well as Mr Trump and "the whole American people".
In a message on the presidential website, Mr Putin said that, with the accession of Mr Trump, "the two states, acting in a constructive and pragmatic manner, can take real steps for restoration of mechanisms for bilateral co-operation". (ibid BBC)
Does Putin not realise that such "fawning" behaviour towards Donald Trump has simply increased the barbed wire that Obama has spun around him?
(to be continued)
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