My doubts about Putin’s ability to think strategically go back to 2008. I have always been a defender of Putin in that the aggression is from Washington to Russia, not vice versa, and that Washington, not Putin, is responsible for the conflict in Ukraine.
Nevertheless, I had early doubts about Putin’s strategic vision. He spoke as if he had vision, but he acted as if he did not. When the American trained Georgian Army crossed over into South Ossetia killing the population and Russian peacekeepers, Putin was at the Beijing Olympics, apparently totally unsuspecting and totally unprepared. How could Putin not have known that the US, and according to some Israel, were training a Georgian army? What did Putin think they were going to do with it?
After defeating the American trained army and conquering Georgia, Putin collected up his forces and returned to Russia without, apparently, securing any agreement that Georgia would stay clear of NATO and Western activities against Russia. I wondered about Putin’s failure in strategic thinking, but gave him the benefit of the doubt, thinking that Putin chose to demonstrate that he believed in non-interference in countries internal affairs and used the opportunity to demonstrate that he was not interested in reforming the Soviet Empire.
Nevertheless, I continued to wonder how it is possible for Putin and Lavrov on one hand declaring clearly that the West is out to destroy Russia and on the other hand addressing Russia’s acknowledged enemies as “our Western partners.”
I next noticed that Putin was unaware of the coup Washington was developing in Ukraine or he had no strategic thoughts about it. It had to have been clear to Russian intelligence that for years Washington was pouring billions of dollars–five billion according to Victoria Nuland–into Western-sponsored NGOs, student groups, and bribable politicians in preparation for a coup. So where was Putin when the coup occurred? He was at the Sochi Olympics.
This struck me hard. How could a leader of Russia who made clear statements of Washington’s intentions toward Russia think the Olympic games were more important than an American coup in Ukraine? But apparently Putin did.
It was Putin’s negligence that caused the ever-widening war in Ukraine. Putin showed his lack of strategic vision when he refused in 2014 the vote of Russian Donbas to be re-incorporated into Russia along with Crimea. This was a disastrous decision sufficient to disqualify any nationalist leader.
And it got worst from there. Putin, preferring a paper, and therefore worthless, agreement with his enemies to putting down a strong deterring foot, came up with the idealistic scheme of the Minsk Agreement. Putin got Donbas and the Ukrainians to agree to the agreement, and France and Germany agreed to be enforcers. Putin’s Minsk scheme left Russian Donbas in Ukraine but gave Donbas Russians elements of autonomy designed to protect them form persecution and slaughter.
After securing this agreement, which the Chancellor of Germany and President of France later said publicly was used by the West to deceive the innocent Putin, Putin stood aside for eight years while Washington built, trained, and equipped a large, capable Ukrainian Army.
1 comment:
Putin always wanted to be part of the WEF club as he was right there alongside one of the founders. Probably his mistake not realizing that the club was only placating him while they formulated their global ambitions for a one world government. China on the other hand is admired for their control over their population and use of a social credit system and so far have gotten a pass from the globalist ambitions. At some point they will be forced to bend a knee after their usefulness is no longer needed. Satan has no use for any these despots. He just uses them until he doesn’t need them anymore.
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