Montecresto
DP Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 9, 2013
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Bush and Obama at the end of the day, despite all their corporate ties, are accountable to their people, and have their power constrained by rule of law. The same is not true of Putin and his inner circle. The simple fact is that there are degrees of corruption and the US' comes nowhere close to Russia's or China's. I don't think the US is 'benevolent' but I do think it's better and more righteous than Russia under Putin, particularly when one considers its strength and capacities. I would shudder to think of a world where Putin or Xi Jinping had America's unrivaled power at their command.
Again, the Crimea bases were under no material threat. If you have proof that they were, please share it.
Lastly, Putin doesn't give a **** about Russia's interests; never has, never will. He cares about himself, and his own power and self-aggrandizement. If he actually did care, he wouldn't have taken actions that lead to the sustained and continuing collapse of its economy and the wholesale destruction of its currency reserves.
The very act of the Wests in supporting an undemocratic regime change by a coup conducted by a tiny fraction of the Ukrainian population was the threat that Russia has been talking about. As Putin has made clear. They believed, and had good reason to believe that the new regime in Kiev, sympathetic to the West, would cancel the lease in Sevastopol and Putin wasn't waiting around for that to happen. Your opinion or dismissal of that has no bearing on it whatsoever. Putin said he had that concern and he took swift action to protect Russian interests. It is now secure.
As to Putins interests, you haven't a clue what they are. You think Clinton or Trump's interests go beyond their own, lol? Russia will survive despite Western intrigue.