12 October 2016
By Dr. Abdul Ruff Colachal American media is filled
with unbelievable stories about US presidential hopeful Donald Trump's
reverence for Russian president Vladimir Putin – former KGB intelligence
officer who later in his career worked for KGB in Germany before he was
handpicked by the new and first post-Soviet Russian president Boris Yelstsin
to succeed him. Russia, Americans say, is frequently at odds with American
interests on the world stage.
Basically, Trump is an American hawk
while Putin is a Russian variety of this character. Trump may have business
interests in Russia that Puitn may back. Apart from that, Trump may have liked
the boldness, stubbornness and thoroughness of Russian president.
Recently Republican Donald Trump said he
is not sure what kind of relationship he would have with Russian President
Putin if he is elected US president. Donald Trump
pushed back on Hillary Clinton's accusation that he's cozying up to Putin
after the charge put Trump's running mate on the defensive during the vice
presidential debate. The billionaire Trump sought to take away an argument
that Clinton and her running mate, Tim Kaine, have ramped up in the final
weeks of the campaign as they work to portray Trump as dangerous for American
interests overseas. While US-Russia relations nosedive over failed diplomacy
in Syria, Trump has complimented Putin, calling him a strong leader and even
encouraging him to track down Clinton's missing emails, though Trump later
said he was being sarcastic.
The celebrity businessman said his relationship with Russia's leader would be
determined by how Moscow responds to strong US leadership under a Trump
administration. ''They say Donald Trump loves Putin. I don't love, I don't
hate. We'll see how it works,'' Trump told a rally outside Las Vegas. Speaking
before an estimated crowd of 7,000 in Henderson, Nev., a Las Vegas suburb,
Trump said he could not predict the type of relationship he would have with
Putin.
Clinton shrugged that off, saying Trump
has weird fascination with dictators. ''My opponent seems not to know the
difference between an ally and adversary,'' Clinton said at an evening
fundraiser in Washington. ''You guys love Russia,'' Democratic VP candidate
Kaine said in Tuesday's debate. In a forceful rebuke, Pence described Putin as
a ''small and bullying leader'' but blamed Clinton and President Barack Obama
for a ''weak and feckless'' foreign policy that had awakened Moscow's
aggression in Ukraine and meddling in the Middle East. Pence's cool demeanor
contrasted with Trump's bluster during his own, top-of-the-ticket showdown
against Clinton. However strong Pence's performance, Trump made clear he
considers it a reflection of himself.
During the debate, Trump's running mate
Gov. Mike Pence, who has defended Trump's praise of Putin, backed away from
Trump's previous praise for Putin, calling the Russian president a ''small and
bullying'' leader.
Vladimir Putin clearly is pleased with
Trump's praise of him, such as saying that Putin has been a better leader than
Barack Obama. And the Kremlin is thrilled by Trump's statements deriding NATO,
applauding the British decision to leave the European Union and suggesting
that America might not defend allies threatened by Russia.
Stylistically Trump is Putin's type.
Trump seems to Moscow at this point unlikely to put politically correct talk
of ''Western values'' ahead of ''our mutual and shared interests.'' That he
may well harm the Western alliance in the process is a most welcome bonus.
Trump will smash America as the Russians currently perceive it. There is
little doubt (at least as expressed on Radio Moscow) that Trump's use of
advisers who are sympathetic to Moscow is welcome. Donald Trump shows
himself to inhabit a fantastical realm where Barack Obama's birth certificate
was faked, the president founded ISIS, the Clintons are killers and the father
of a former rival was with Lee Harvey Oswald before he assassinated John F.
Kennedy in Dallas. Americans
feel depressed that their president Obama does not enjoy the benefits of hard
power like Turkish or Russian presidents do. The deeper worry, therefore, is
for Russia and Turkey, where ''autocrats'' use the techniques of post-truth to
silence opposing opinions deemed unacceptable by some. In USA, the Congress
itself is a hoax, behaves like a collective autocrat.
The USA and Russia back opposing sides
in Syria's civil war but both are fighting the Islamic State group there. The
USA cut off talks with Russia about Syria this week after the latest
cease-fire collapsed, blaming Russia for failing to fulfill its commitments
under the deal. ''I can say this: If we get along and Russia went out with us
and knocked the hell out of ISIS, that's OK with me folks,'' Trump said, using
an acronym for the extremist group.
Democrat Kaine acknowledged that even
his wife gave him a hard time for his constant interruptions during the
debate. But Kaine said he was effectively able to block Republican VP
candidate Pence from attacking Clinton. ''I've never played hockey but I think
I'd be a good goalie, based on last night,'' he said. Hillary and Trump
have not discussed the rationale for the permanent war agenda of USA and NATO.
Nor do they say anything in detail about the US aid to third world
underdeveloped nations. Disarmament or denuclearization issues have not come
up in debates and speeches even by mistake.
The most notable substantive exchanges
occurred on foreign policy, with Republican VP candidate Pence offering a
¬detailed critique of Barack Obama's record and growing global disorder.
Democrat VP mate Kaine kept saying Clinton was part of the team that killed
Osama bin Laden, but that is old anti-terror news. Pence replied that the main
terror threat now was Islamic State, which he said grew out of ''the vacuum''
left when Obama withdrew all US troops from Iraq.
Notable was the debate on Russia, with
Kaine claiming that Trump has business ties with ''oligarchs'' that cause him
to apologize for Vladimir Putin. Trump's admiration for Putin is mysterious
and worrisome. But Pence pointed out Clinton's hawkishness-come-lately on
Russia follows years of weak ¬policy that invited Putin's aggression. Pence
reminded the audience what a classic Republican security policy sounds like —
if only Trump would adopt it.
For the most part Pence dodged this trap, going back on offence against the
Clinton-Obama record rather than ¬defend every Trump statement, many of which
are indefensible. This is a useful lesson for Trump to take into the next
debate, a town hall in which audience members will ask the questions. People
want to like their presidents.
At least henceforth the presidential candidates must discuss the future war
plans of USA and when they should end terror wars for fun and resources,
declare a credible plan to withdraw all its terror troops from foreign soils. If
Republican Trump could make the case for Donald Trump half as well as his ally
Mike Pence makes the case for Donald Trump, the New Yorker would be well on
his way to the White House.
Also, a latest opinion poll suggests that Republican Trump is ahead of Hillary
by 2. 5 points and this trend is likely to go up as poll date approaches.
These days, possibly in order to help shoot up the rating of Obama and Clinton
Hillary, many TV channels relays Hollywood movies where Black Americans play
lead hero role or positive rules to help the White American heroes, among
others and naturally the rating of Obama is sound.
Russia gives every appearance of hoping
that the presidential run by Republican Donald Trump will prove successful and
there is every indication that the Kremlin wants to give him a boost. Russia
has made a lukewarm confession of hacking the emails from the Democratic
National Committee that appeared on WikiLeaks. Surely this must be a covert
Russian operation designed specifically to sow distrust in our elections. Put
another way, Trump may well have become an agent of the Russian Federation.
The point Democrats are busy driving to
the public is to remind Americans that Trump can be crude, nasty and
untutored. This fits the Clinton strategy to delegitimize Trump personally as
a ¬potential president. His affirmative case for Clinton and her agenda were
¬almost afterthoughts.
Regardless of who takes the White House come November, Russia's very presence
at the center of American electoral politics is celebrated in Moscow. here is
wholesale denying of meddling in Moscow; the accusations nonetheless reinforce
the sense of Putin's power. The focus in Russia on the presidential campaign
in America is construed to be a true and lasting acknowledgement that Russia
has returned to the international arena. That surely must be what Putin really
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