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On Feb. 21, throughout a fundraiser in San Francisco, President Biden referred to as Russian President Vladimir Putin a “crazy SOB,” lamenting that “we always have to worry about nuclear conflict, but the existential threat to humanity is climate.”
The subsequent day, requested by a Russian state TV reporter for his response to Biden’s “nasty” phrases, Putin referred to as them “absolutely adequate,” suggesting the outburst was prompted by Putin’s earlier assertion expressing his desire for Biden as a future U.S. chief, moderately than Donald Trump.
“Judging by what he has just said,” continued Putin, “I was absolutely right because it’s an adequate reaction to my remark.” Talking about “what’s best for us, Russia,” Putin, sporting a sarcastic smile, doubled down, “I’ve said it once and can repeat: Biden.”
Usually, Putin can’t be trusted. A former KGB operative, Putin is extremely expert at deception, the intelligence tradecraft that he recurrently employed when he recruited spies in Japanese Germany. As a former Protection Intelligence Company officer, I spent my profession finding out and analyzing Putin and his considering. I’m right here to let you know that on this case, we are able to take Putin at his phrase – he does certainly want Joe Biden over Donald Trump as his U.S. counterpart. Right here’s why:
TIME FOR PRESIDENT BIDEN TO FOLLOW ‘THE GIPPER’ AND INVOKE THE REAGAN DOCTRINE AGAINST IRAN
President Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin (AP/Manuel Balce Ceneta | Sergei Bobylev/Sputnik/Kremlin Pool Picture)
Putin has sized up the U.S. president and sure concluded that Biden is naïve, might be simply manipulated, lacks a well-rounded background, and isn’t a strategic thinker. Saying nothing in regards to the Kremlin’s acute consciousness of the U.S. commander in chief’s apparent cognitive and bodily decline.
An avid judo practitioner, Putin makes use of the important thing ideas of this martial artwork towards his opponents on the world stage. “Judo teaches you to maintain control, to feel the sharpness of the moment, to see the strong and the weak sides of your opponent, to strive for the best outcome.” Thus Putin is at all times looking out for the chance to knock his opponent off steadiness. Biden has confirmed susceptible to Putin’s affect.
Putin thinks he can disorient Biden and form his decision-making in a method that’s useful to Russia, moderately than the U.S. Biden is well flustered by Putin’s actions, having referred to as him a “killer,” “murderous dictator,” “war criminal,” “butcher,” “pure thug,” and the like. Putin perceives Biden’s dropping his cool as an indication of helplessness. Putin is aware of he can get to Biden.
Biden’s hatred of Putin prevents him from studying who his opponent is, enabling Putin to always outmaneuver him. As an architect of the Russia “reset” technique within the Obama administration, Vice President Biden was selling friendship between the 2 nations at the exact same time when Putin was making ready to invade Ukraine. Furthermore, Russia was growing a warfighting technique towards the U.S. that included cyberattacks on vital infrastructure, destruction of our satellites, disruption of undersea web cables, and different nasty issues. This was Putin’s method of preserving the U.S. army out of the battlefield in Ukraine. Biden virtually definitely was briefed on that intelligence.
Remarkably, throughout their summit in Geneva, Biden handed Putin a listing of 16 U.S. sectors of vital infrastructure that he didn’t need Russia to assault with cyberattacks, as if Putin would alter his insurance policies simply because Biden needed him to. Within the run-up to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Biden introduced that he wouldn’t authorize the deployment of U.S. forces into the theater, suggesting {that a} “minor incursion” was acceptable.
RUSSIA IS TARGETING THE US HOMELAND WITH ITS STRATEGY OF CYBER ARMAGEDDON
President Vladimir Putin shakes palms together with his Chinese language counterpart, Xi Jinping, following talks on the sidelines of the Japanese Financial Discussion board in Vladivostok, Russia, on Sept. 11, 2018. (Sergei Chirikov/Pool/ AFP by way of Getty Pictures)
Whereas Putin is an lawyer with a Ph.D. in economics, Biden doesn’t perceive economics and its relationship with geopolitics. Consequently, Biden’s sanctions coverage helped finance Putin’s war on Ukraine whereas backfiring as Biden’s cancellation of the Keystone XL pipeline prompted the worldwide provide of oil to drop and Russian oil imports to spike, ensuing within the enhance of Russia’s protection price range 1.5 occasions.
This additionally elevated our dependency on Russian oil. In 2022, the USA was shopping for oil from Russia as Russian forces had been devastating Ukraine. To this present day, gasoline costs stay excessive, pushing up transportation prices, and subsequently costs on meals and items, and throughout varied different sectors of the financial system, which have been affected by excessive inflation.
In the meantime, Biden’s sanctions on Russia had the alternative impact from what he anticipated. Putin knew that Biden would deploy sanctions. He, subsequently, started sanction-proofing the Russian financial system and transitioning it to a wartime footing, effectively upfront. In 2015, seven years previous to the 2022 invasion, Putin declared the so-called “special period,” a authorized regime that enables the Russian state to mandate that factories swap manufacturing from civilian items to army {hardware}, resembling missiles, drones and tanks.
Vladimir Putin visits the nationwide guard headquarters within the Luhansk Area, Russian-controlled Ukraine, on this nonetheless picture taken from handout video launched on April 18, 2023. (Kremlin.ru/Handout by way of Reuters)
As well as, Putin mandated an import substitution program throughout the Russian manufacturing trade, spurring indigenous manufacturing in Russia and lowering dependence on Western items and elements. He largely de-dollarized Russia’s Sovereign Wealth Fund, in favor of the Chinese language yuan, the euro and gold, and beefed up Russia’s international change reserves to an all-time excessive.
Opposite to Biden’s expectations of Russia’s collapse, the Russian financial system is doing effectively and is even edging forward of Germany, in accordance with the World Financial institution’s rating of GDP by buying energy parity. The Worldwide Financial Fund up to date its development forecast for Russia to 2.6% in 2024, a 1.5% level rise over what it had predicted final October, in accordance with the Monetary Occasions.
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President Biden lacks a strategic grasp of how the world works, undermining the U.S. place within the world financial system. (AP/Alex Brandon)
Biden lacks a strategic grasp of how the world works, undermining the U.S. place within the world financial system together with his insurance policies. Biden’s weaponization of the greenback by sanctioning nations that don’t share Washington’s worldview has resulted within the development of de-dollarization of the world financial system.
Along with Russia, many different international locations have begun de-dollarizing their economies out of concern that they would be the goal of Washington’s ire. The BRICS alliance, which incorporates Russia, China, Saudi Arabia and Iran, amongst others, is working to determine a brand new forex, just like the euro, to scale back its reliance on the greenback.
Decrease demand for the greenback will end in greater rates of interest and inflation, would hurt the inventory market, and make borrowing to finance our large federal deficit far tougher. These insurance policies can have a catastrophic impact on the USA, benefiting Russia.
Former President Trump and President Joe Biden (FOX Information)
Lastly, Biden’s coverage of flowing billions of {dollars} in money and weaponry to Ukraine, regardless of a scarcity of a technique to win, has been depleting our weapons arsenal, in some circumstances to harmful ranges, and including to the already large nationwide debt. It will additional embolden Putin as he has aligned himself firmly with prime U.S. adversaries: China, Iran and North Korea. With a number of conflicts brewing internationally that can most likely require our army’s involvement, shortages in needed ammunition and army programs will probably end in greater U.S. casualties.
In contrast to Biden, Putin fears Donald Trump. Within the Russian tradition, concern equals respect. Whereas Trump’s desire for a transactional strategy to coping with world leaders appeals to Putin, the Russian authoritarian probably finds Trump unpredictable, desperate to outsmart his opponent, extremely smart, crafty, and pursuing completely American pursuits. Putin finds it tough to dislodge Trump psychologically and outmaneuver him, and subsequently unlikely to get him to behave towards America’s pursuits.
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Vladimir Putin with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad throughout a go to to Syria, Dec. 11, 2017. (Sputnik/Mikhail Klimentyev/ by way of Reuters/File Picture)
Trump by no means referred to as Putin names, sustaining a cordial {and professional} relationship. Trump probably acknowledges that Putin is a severe participant on the worldwide area, making the Russian dictator really feel revered, thus favorably predisposing him to the chief. Putin has noticed, nonetheless, that regardless of occasional flattery, Trump spoke softly however carried a giant stick to regard to Russia throughout his first time period. Right here’s a listing of actions the previous president took, putting on the coronary heart of Russia’s anti-U.S. technique. Trump’s insurance policies put the concern of God into Putin.
Trump licensed offensive cyber operations towards our adversaries and the army ramped up cyber intrusions in Russia’s energy grid. Putin probably understood that he would want to suppose lengthy and onerous earlier than authorizing crippling assaults on very important U.S. infrastructure, as a part of Russia’s cyber warfare technique.
In 2019, Trump established a brand new armed service, the U.S. House Drive, a direct counter to Russia’s area warfare technique, which seeks to place our satellites in danger. Trump understood that the Russians, who shaped their area power in 2001, view U.S. reliance on area as an Achilles heel, a strategic vulnerability.
In 2017, Trump banned a Moscow-based anti-virus software program agency owned by a former Soviet KGB intelligence officer-turned-cybersecurity knowledgeable, Eugene Kaspersky, from U.S. authorities networks. The software program uncovered our army and civilian networks to Russian espionage. In 2018, Trump licensed large airstrikes on Deir ez-Zor in Syria along with different army motion, killing or severely wounding roughly 300 Russian mercenary fighters. Putin didn’t retaliate.
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The South Garden of the White Home (iStock)
Lastly, and most significantly, in 2018, Trump launched modifications to our nuclear doctrine, taking direct purpose at Putin’s “escalate-to-de-escalate” atomic technique. Upon turning into president, Biden canceled Trump’s modernization program of the U.S. nuclear arsenal, which aimed to discourage Putin from detonating a low-yield tactical nuclear warhead.
The actual fact Biden considers local weather change, moderately than nuclear weapons, an “existential threat to humanity” demonstrates that our chief government is just not on prime of his recreation, to place it mildly. And that’s the reason, if he’s re-elected, it will be a present to Putin.
