While we insist on tolerance within America, our foreign policy is quite different. Americans are told they are the "greatest", "#1" and "exceptional." We are stuck in perpetual wars and we always have a bogeyman du jour.
To justify all the aggression, we are fed endless atrocity propaganda that incontrovertibly proves how evil another country and its leaders are. In this mythology, America is the innocent Little Red Riding Hood who's threatened by wolves like Putin. He attacks our democracy! He threatens Europe! (There's also new vitriol towards China and Iran).
The fact is that US policies over the last 25 years have consistently pushed Russia away and fostered enmity between the two nations.
1990's, Harvard Boys and the Russian Economy
1992 started with a new Russia that had just dissolved its communist system. Everything American was considered awesome. American TV shows, American products and ... American economists ... took over Russia. What better way to achieve prosperity?
The Harvard Boys were in charge of the Russian economy. Larry Summers, Jeffrey Sachs, Robert Rubin and others implemented their grand economic "reforms" with the help of handpicked Russian politicians and businessmen (future oligarchs).
To make a long story short, Russia experienced its own Great Depression for the next eight years. Hyperinflation, 40% drop in GDP, mass unemployment, widespread poverty, soaring suicides ... the reforms turned out to be a cruel shock therapy.
US Meddling in Russian Politics
While we are shocked by alleged Russian interference in our election, back in the 1990s, Washington elites literally picked the Russian President and the cabinet. As Bill Clinton bragged to Tony Blair, he also had tremendous influence over the Russian parliament. And when Boris Yeltsin was about to lose in the 1996 election, Bill Clinton arranged an IMF loan that went into Yeltsin's campaign coffer; and US campaign experts flew into Russia and engineered a resounding victory for Yeltsin. The US media gloated about the meddling with titles, "Yanks to the Rescue!" and "Rescuing Boris."
After the CIA and Saudi Arabia created the Mujahideen/Al Qaeda in Afghanistan to defeat the USSR, they didn't want to dismantle such a useful organization. In 1992, those fighters were sent to Bosnia, Azerbaijan, Chechnya and Kosovo, with all of the conflicts there having long-term economic and geopolitical impact.
Azerbaijan on the Caspian Sea has vast reserves of oil and gas. And the only competition was the Russian pipelines that went through ... Chechnya.
In Chechnya, our Mujahideen blew up the Russian pipelines and then defeated the Russian army in the First Chechen War.
The CIA and US private military contractors (such as MPRI) played a major role in the dismembering of Yugoslavia. When separatists in Kosovo started losing, NATO stepped in and bombed Serbia into submission in 1999. The following year, Soros-funded group Otpor! ("Resistance") overthrew the Serbian president. Why was Serbia so relentlessly targeted? It was pro-Russia.
I describe these events in details in my new book, "Geopolitics for Dummies."
Color Revolutions against Russia - Georgia, Ukraine
Many other 'color revolutions' followed the same playbook. When a pro-US leader lost an election, grassroots organizations funded by Soros/USAID/NED would start protesting. This would be called a 'revolution', with catchy names such as Tulip, Orange, Rose, Umbrella etc. Following sophisticated propaganda and international pressure, there would be a new election and, voila, the pro-US candidate would win. Rinse, Repeat.
While we're enraged by Russia spending $100,000 on Facebook ads, US Asst. Sec. of State - Victoria Nuland - admitted that the US spent $5 billion on interfering in Ukraine's civil and political life. She was also famous for handing out cookies at the faux Maidan Revolution in Kiev in 2013.
NATO Expansion
When the USSR was dismantled, US elites promised Russians that NATO would expand "not one inch eastward". However, while the Russian military was being decimated, globalists kept expanding NATO anyway. In 1999, NATO added Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic. In 2004, when Russia was still weak and friendly towards the US ... NATO added 7 more countries.
Many of these new NATO members have anti-missile defense systems, and US soldiers participate in massive war games right on the Russian border. Obviously, all these are clear and dangerous security threats to Russia.
In 2001, George Bush and the Neocons unilaterally cancelled the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, which had been in place since 1972. This was a needless provocation against Russia which had reduced its nuclear weapons from 45,000 to 7,000 and signed many treaties to promote peace.
NATO Rejects Russia
In 2001, Putin offered to join NATO, but was turned down. If Russia joined NATO, how will the military-industrial complex justify its annual budget and expensive projects? No enemy, No money!
In the 1850s, Great Britain and France tried to steal Crimea from the Russian Empire. Why? Without Crimea and control of the Black Sea and the access it provides to the Mediterranean, the Russian military would be severely hampered. Geography hasn't changed in 160 years and we shouldn't be too Machiavellian. Crimea belongs to Russia, let's move on.
Pipeline War Continues
Poland and Ukraine were the most important transit countries for Russian pipelines. Now, largely thanks to the US, both countries are hostile towards Russia. So, when Putin tried to build pipelines that would reach Europe through Bulgaria, the US stopped it. When he tried to build pipelines through Greece, well, the US/EU blocked it again. As a last resort, Putin ordered the laying of pipelines under the sea towards Germany (NordStream), and the US found 100 reasons to object and threatened to impose more sanctions against Russia.
It's rather difficult to be friendly with someone who's persistently trying to sabotage your economy.
Hybrid Wars
Without an iota of diplomacy, the US media and politicians constantly attack, demonize and use derogatory language against Putin. Despite this, Putin continues to refer to "our American partners."
Japanese leader, Shinzo Abe, has met with Putin 20 times, and nobody freaks out in Japan; India and China treat Putin with enormous affection and respect. Even geopolitical enemies Israel, Saudi Arabia and Iran often meet with Putin and negotiate like reasonable adults.
Conclusion
Reader Comments
My God, we are so blessed to have their guidance and support!
Now I'm pretty sure Uncle Vlad knows what's going on. He's no dummy. But what the hell is he doing getting chummy with those creepy Israeli Jews and cavorting with Donald the Dunce with a big handshake and a smile, not getting pissed off about the build up on his borders, Chechen, Georgia, the Ukraine, Syria... the list is almost endless, but still he has a calm composure and doesn't get his knickers in a twist. Either the man is a tool or he just bides his time and calculates his moves --- which we know that for a fact, but how long can he keep this charade up? He's gotta crack sooner or later, but he perseveres no matter what. He travels with his own kitchen staff and watchful of anything suspicious. If he got sassinated, it would be a HUGE blow to those who fervently hope for a positive outcome in this most perilous and unpredictable time we're in, and boy those evil westerners are practically salivating over the anticipation. Once he's gone, the others will fall like dominoes.
If anybody deserves a Peace Prize, it's Vladmir Vladimirovitch Putin. Raise a glass to this wonderful man! Or have a beer at least--or smoke a spliff.
A fiend and I are thinking of visiting a hollowcost museum and breaking in to an uncontrollable fit of laughter at the saddest exhibit, then leaving before we get kicked out.
And no, I'm not a pubescent adolescent with an Oedipus complex.
I have an idea that will put a stop to all this madness..
U.S. Constitution - Article 1 Section 8
To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years
please consider the reason for this LAW. it is still on the books and has not been amended.
has this answer changed? no. it has not.
we have plenty of guns and do not need to fear either Mexico or Canada.
what effect would it have, if we adhered to our founders guidance. and followed the rule of law? (the Constitution)
All this doesn't make Putin a superior human being. He's shrewd and keeps his eye on the prize. As a capable administrator of his national strategy, he will see it through, and this country will be forced into the status it so richly deserves after a hundred years of being a heartless bully while pretending to be the world's savior.