Why Putin Chose Trump to get even with Clinton

[LarsMac]

This is a fairly old story, but still spot on.
As Europe becomes "hooked" on Russian Petro Products, they will likely become far more dependent, and less willing to break away from that teat.

Link: Why Putin Chose Trump to get even with Clinton

"During a 2014 installment of CNN’s State of the Union, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) noted, “…without American leadership organizing Europe and the world, you see people like Putin, who has an economy the size of Italy — he’s playing a poker game with a pair of 2s and winning.”

Graham’s down-home analysis is both correct and more pertinent to today’s endless Trump/Russia news cycle than has been reported.

The Russian GDP is barely half that of France these days, despite the fact the Russians produce more natural gas than anyone on Earth with the exception of the U.S., while also being the third largest producer of oil.

The Russian GDP has contracted to less than one-tenth of that of the U.S. and it no longer ranks in the top 10 of global economies, according to the 2017 estimates of the International Monetary Fund.

A pair of 2s may be overstating it."

Putin has succeeded in raising the failed Soviet monster to a new player on the world market.
Soon, Capitalism will be the only game in town.

[LarsMac]

[More]
"In many ways, Russia has become a failed state. An incredible 87 percent of the country’s wealth is now owned by the richest 10 percent. There has been speculation of late that Russian President Vladimir Putin is now the richest man in the world, and he’s not the only one of his countrymen who has prospered this century from what has become one of the world’s largest kleptocracies.

What all this adds up to is that a dangerous transformation has occurred. Russia has gone from being a global superpower to a somewhat insignificant state — not counting its nuclear arsenal — with a failing economy. But somewhere during this devolution, Russia became something else: the world’s most significant, dangerous, well-armed, well-funded and most profitable cartel in the world.


Donald Trump was the perfect instrument for Vladimir Putin’s 2016 attack on his long-time nemesis Hillary Clinton and American democracy.
Wikimedia Commons/Kremlin.ru
To understand the unfolding Trump/Russia scandal, we must take off our Cold War blinders and see Russia as it truly is today: a cartel of wealthy oligarchs from Russia, Azerbaijan and Turkey manipulating the world’s political systems in order to maintain its cash flow, which, for the most part, stems from the sale of natural resources. Or put another way, the Trump/Russia scandal and the DNC/Clinton campaign email hacking was never about global politics. It was simply a matter of money, and more specifically, the money Putin and his fellow kleptocrats derive from the export of their respective countries’ oil and natural gas.

Putin’s cash cow

Fulfilling Europe’s energy needs is Putin’s primary source of income, both personally and for the nation he oversees.

Russia is the largest supplier of oil and natural gas to Europe. It accounts for 32 percent of Europe’s oil supply and nearly 40 percent of its natural gas. As of 2016, Europe imports 88 percent of the oil and gas it uses.

Because of Europe’s heavy dependence on Putin’s Russian cartel for its oil and gas needs, it is impossible to overstate the importance of the pipelines that carry Russia’s fossil fuels to Europe. There are many oil and gas producers in the world, including the United States and countries in the Middle East, that badly want to tap into the lucrative European market. But to do so at this time, these countries would have to rely on shipping as the principle means of delivering their liquid gold to the EU markets, whether it’s oil or liquefied natural gas, and both require the use of massive and expensive tankers. Because this form of transport is considerably more expensive than delivery by pipeline, and the process of liquifying natural gas also adds expense to the process, Russia has a decided advantage when it comes to pricing its hydrocarbons. So long as pipelines connect Russia’s oil and gas to Europe, it is unlikely that the governments of Europe will be tempted to purchase their fossil fuels elsewhere in any significant quantity. The additional cost would find its way into nearly every aspect of the European economy from food production to transportation to manufacturing and would likely be devastating to the already fragile EU economy.

But while the pipelines are Russia’s competitive strength, they are also its point of vulnerability."

[Raphael]

Based on a very fast scan , your assumption is barmy .

The Federation needs oil and gas sales .
America has no role to play in this area viz a viz Russia .
Either as a customer or supplier .The rest of the world is now its oyster along with its great ally Iran with its massive reserves .

Russia does not need or want the US $ .
No different from the rest of the world once individual blackmail shackles are removed .
It is only a short time before the US $ collapses . Perhaps within the next year if an institution like Deutsche formally declares bankruptcy and triggers a world recession which is inevitable regardless of Deutsche .

The so called BRICS countries are Russia's greatest future economic allies .
The very areas which broadly most hate the USA .

Russia's middle class is fast growing both in numbers and as a percent of total GDP.
It is this trend towards wealth distribution that is most important .
The trend is very significant and quite opposite to the US where wealth monopoly by the elite is still growing obscenely and just six corporations/ individuals control 91% of all media sources .

In all likelihood , Putin despises Clinton and everything she represents .
He knows that Russia has no need of wars at this point whereas the US ( Deep State and neocons who are now termed Globalists and progressive Socialists ) who believe endless war and pestilence somehow breed wealth and future prosperity .

In simple terms Putin is a capitalist and the least favoured route for him now is tying himself to a Crime Family headed by an old and crazed woman who is in very poor health .

The OP is nonsense . imho

[LarsMac]

That must have been an extremely fast scan.
I never claimed Russia needs US markets. They are very happy to have Europe. And Europe is very happy to have a ready supply that does not depend on shipping, which depends on waterways clear of all the political strife in the Gulf.

And only an idiot could fail to see the way The Donald has become Putin's Bitch.

[Raphael]

That must have been an extremely fast scan.
I never claimed Russia needs US markets. They are very happy to have Europe. And Europe is very happy to have a ready supply that does not depend on shipping, which depends on waterways clear of all the political strife in the Gulf.

And only an idiot could fail to see the way The Donald has become Putin's Bitch.

A very strange response .
I never claimed Russia needs US markets in the first place - gas and oil .
Rather, I emphasised that because of this present clear and comparatively new situation in these specific markets any co-operation between the two will have to flourish from and in other areas .Not Oil and Gas .

There are literally thousands of obvious and huge other reasons why the USA should see The Federation and ex Soviet countries as gigantic profit and co-operation opportunities .The biggest is that comparatively they have no wealthy middle class .
The US could change that by enslaving a few minds at a time to consumption , profit and greed -- the western way of living with a few wars of joint convenience thrown in for good measure and huge extra profits .

That simple fact is blind to most Americans who have not travelled anywhere much and have as much knowledge about Russia as ants have of the details of running a human economy .

But such a blindingly obvious future development route is completely outside of 'your' thesis and-- horror of horrors --- no evidence whatsoever is offered to support your arbitrary overall claim .

Any reasonable person knows that the idea that Donald has become anybodies bitch is puerile . I have to assume it is your attempt at humour .

If , on the other hand , you were to suggest that Trump should work with President Xi in the way that you fantasise he works with Vlad , you could make a compelling case . .