When it comes to Russia, the US is playing a double game.
Take for example the focus lately on Donald Trump’s extraordinary support for Russian president Vladimir Putin. As reported by Politico, Trump inflamed the situation on Thursday by criticizing US foreign policy during an interview broadcast on RT America, a television network owned by the Russian government that often toes the Kremlin’s line.
The reality is Russia sees Clinton as an enemy, one likely to start a war.
The Moscow Times has reported how Clinton called Russian President Vladimir Putin the “grand godfather of this global brand of extreme nationalism” in a campaign speech in Nevada. Hence Putin’s support for Trump.
What’s more interesting is the way Hillary Clinton has seized on the embrace to get stuck into Donald Trump. “It is beyond one’s imagination to have a candidate for president praising a Russian autocrat like Vladimir Putin,” she told a news conference.
What then to make of President Obama’s support for Russia in Syria?
Russia began bombing Syria last year in order to protect its long-time client Bashar Assad. Obama, the Nobel Peace laureate, has spent the last two years bombing the anti-Assad fighters in Syria whom the US government regards as terrorists. Needless to say, lots of civilians have been killed in the process.
Obama subsequently reached a deal with Putin where Russia and the U.S. would jointly bomb agreed-upon targets in Syria (ones opposed to Assad). And today they have announced a ceasefire where they would improve aid access and jointlyt targeting of banned militant Islamist groups.
Just another example of how insincere US politics can be. And something to keep things in perspective in the final weeks of the campaign.
