Annihilating the Truth

[smirkymonkey]

4. Actually, Putin may not be as powerful as he seems

according to Julia Ioffe, (journalist who covers national security and foreign policy topics for The Atlantic) he's not the untouchable mastermind that people seem to think he is. Read more from "What Putin Really Wants" in the Atlantic.

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/01/putins-game/546548/

"Russia's strongman president has many Americans convinced of his manipulative genius. He's really just a gambler who won big."

"Both Putin and his country are aging, declining—but the insecurities of decline present their own risks to America. The United States intelligence community is unanimous in its assessment not only that Russians interfered in the U.S. election but that, in the words of former FBI Director James Comey, “they will be back.” It is a stunning escalation of hostilities for a troubled country whose elites still have only a tenuous grasp of American politics. And it is classically Putin, and classically Russian: using daring aggression to mask weakness, to avenge deep resentments, and, at all costs, to survive."

The entire article is really pretty fascinating in the face of all that is going on and makes Putin look somewhat less menacing that we are led to believe. He's dangerous like Trump is dangerous. Two very insecure, weak men who will stop at nothing to maintain the illusion of their individual power and relevance.