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Promoted from the diaries by streiff. Promotion does not imply endorsement.
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Many NeverTrumpers and liberals alike often ask this question, why does Trump adore Putin? Actually, I think a better question is, why does Putin think it’s easier to work with Trump than with Clinton? Putin said Russia wanted Trump to win, but was he being truthful or simply wanted to sow discord among us by shaking our faith in the electoral process?
I think on some instinctual level, Putin understands Russia and America will never be friends, there’s no room for two competitors on the same block. Putin can’t run Russia by all himself, so he has people working for him, and these people are no fans of America, so she can’t be turned into a reliable ally or a complacent global player no matter how hard Putin works on Trump. Likewise, while Trump adores Putin’s authoritarian tendencies, Trump can’t run America by all himself, so he has his administration handle all matters. Like Putin’s people, Trump’s people aren’t big fans of Russia, therefore Russia will never be a reliable friend. Trump cannot force his administration to accept Russia as anything less than a hostile player on world stage.
So from Putin’s viewpoint, the only way to avoid a surefire confrontation militarily is to have a “good” relationship with an American president, and that’s where Trump comes in. For whatever reasons, Putin is able to get along with Trump much better than Clinton. Maybe it’s a male thing, who knows for sure? At least with Trump, Putin knows what he gets in him, whereas with Clinton, one can never be sure of anything. If there is one thing Putin hates the most, it’s uncertainty and because of this, it could lead to violent confrontations between two powerful countries. Right now, Putin doesn’t want to confront the United States directly, he’s not ready for that.
As for Trump, again, I think the same thing can be said of Trump. I think Trump does understand that Russia isn’t our friend and shouldn’t be trusted with anything despite his warm feelings for Putin as a person. Hence the reason why Trump allowed his administration to pursue aggressive policy on Russia, from blowing out Russian mercenaries and bombing the sites in Syria filled with Russian military advisers, supplying Ukraine with weapons and supplies in the fight against Russia, and pursuing a stronger relationship with Eastern Europe in its defense against Russian aggression. Trump administration also took steps to kick out more Russian diplomats (probably Russian intelligence officers under diplomatic cover) and shuttered down few Russian facilities on US soil. They also expanded the sanctions list, putting pressure on Russia’s economy. On some personal level, Trump is trying to have it both ways — warm feelings for Putin as a person, but acting tough at policy level. You may dislike Trump, however, at least his administration has been much more tough on Russia than under Obama.
For Putin, it’s better to make a deal with the devil you know.
That’s my take on the whole thing between Trump and Putin. Of course, it’s just a layman’s perspective of the whole thing. So what do I know anyway…..
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