Putin’s strategy and the U.S. response

[TomSea]

Putin’s strategy and the U.S. response
Russian chess moves are directly related to an Obama foreign policy that relied on withdrawal

 By Herbert London - - Sunday, August 20, 2017

ANALYSIS/OPINION:

At the end of the Cold War, Russia was a facsimile of itself. Shorn of empire, the Russians appeared to be a weak regional power, if that.

Should one examine it through domestic considerations, its economy was weak relying entirely on extractive industries. A contagion of alcoholism raged through the society. HIV cases represented an epidemic. And life expectancy was declining. These conditions still prevail, but President Vladimir Putin has gone global in order to conceal the weakness and failure that exists at home.

Moscow has found numerous openings for exploitation in the West. Its agenda is transparent: Assert Russian influence at the expense of Washington and the liberal institutions that offered international stability since the end of World War II.

Continued: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/aug/20/vladimir-putins-russia-strategy-needs-a-us-respons/