Russia's Hacks Followed Years of Paranoia Toward Hillary Clinton

[yallerdawg]

Ahhhh - something else to consider...

Source: New York Times, by Max Fisher

*****

Mrs. Clinton is viewed in Moscow as innately hostile to Russia. Widely held conspiracy theories portray her as seeking to foment unrest that will return Russia to the chaos and depression of the 1990s. Even many government technocrats view her with suspicion that at times verges on paranoia.

*****

No one factor can fully explain Russia’s decision to hack and pass on Democratic emails, analysts say, and intelligence agencies appear divided on assessing Russian motives. But, in Moscow, fear of Mrs. Clinton has loomed as large or larger than any warmth for Mr. Trump.

*****

Mrs. Clinton is indeed more hawkish than other Democrats, including toward Russia. In 2008, while a senator, she mocked President George W. Bush’s claim that he had looked into Mr. Putin’s soul.

“I could have told him — he was a K.G.B. agent. By definition, he doesn’t have a soul,” Mrs. Clinton joked. The line is still remembered in Moscow.

But the Kremlin’s views of Mrs. Clinton go beyond defining her as hawkish. They are also layered with a pre-existing Russian belief that promoting American democracy is a ploy to unseat unfriendly governments, that the United States remains bent on Russia’s destabilization or even destruction, and that there is an American hand behind nearly every Russian misfortune.

*****

Read it all at: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/16/world/europe/russia-hacks-putin-hillary-clinton.html

[BeyondGeography]

1. Meantime, Vlad amasses personal wealth of $85 bn

in a $1.3 trillion economy. That sounds like a bigger problem to me than America.

Russia is severely fucked up.

[yallerdawg]

2. You can see why 'democracy' would be frowned on.

Exactly how Republican leaders feel.