As expected, the Trump-Putin summit in Helsinki produced a media circus across the Atlantic. Western commentators were hell-bent on insulting President Donald Trump as a traitor and denigrating President Vladimir Putin as an “autocrat,” “dictator” and the “enemy” of the free world, the United States in particular.
Never mind that Putin is an elected president and the whole of Russia is dreaming about normalizing relations with the United States. Never mind that with all Robert Mueller’s indictments there’s a long way to go to make a case for a Trump/Putin conspiracy. The point is, Putin has become the Western media’s devil incarnate, and Trump the same media’s favorite whipping boy.
In one astute observation, Western media exhibit a “Russophrenia” – “a condition where the sufferer believes Russia is both about to collapse, and take over the world.”
When Trump himself calls the establishment’s attitude toward Russia a “rigged witch hunt,” the question must arise: What is going on and why does Russia have the honor of being singled out in a world of dozens of real autocrats who hate the West and murder their political opponents?
Yes, Russia is a big country with nuclear weapons, which allows it to shoot above its weight in international politics. Yes, it openly supported the pro-Russian referendum in Crimea and annexed the peninsula soon thereafter. And yes, it does provide military support to the pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine. But given all the secessionist movements supported by outside forces across the world, none of this (save nuclear weapons) is remarkable enough to merit the special treatment.
At the same time, be it in politics or in the economy, Russia’s real impact on the United States is minuscule. Hacking or not, nobody can seriously claim that Moscow could sway the outcome of the US presidential elections.
Russia does not make it to the list of the top 10 economies in the world, trailing South Korea and Canada. The value of US goods exports to Russia in 2017 was less than US$7 billion, while goods imports from Russia were valued at slightly more than $17 billion. The total trade turnover was barely above 0.1% of the US gross domestic product.
China is the world’s second-largest economy and the top US creditor. It owns 19% of the US debt, more than any other nation. China’s military expenditures are almost four times Russia’s. Most experts agree that China is about to displace the US as the world’s largest and most influential economy. Why Russia, and not China, is being painted as America’s chief geopolitical foe is hard to grasp.
Why Russia, and not China, is being painted as America’s chief geopolitical foe is hard to grasp. It is also hard to grasp the intensity of vilification of either Putin or Trump in Western media
It is also hard to grasp the intensity of vilification of either Putin or Trump in Western media. The Obama-era director of the US Central Intelligence Agency, John Brennan, calls the summit “nothing short of treasonous” – an accusation never applied to Trump’s admittedly one-sided concessions to Kim Jong-un. The Washington Post talks of appeasement. The Daily Mirror calls Trump “Putin’s poodle.” The New York Times has muddied itself enough to carry a cartoon depicting the two leaders as gay lovers.
Such a level of hostility was not even demonstrated against the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War. It is clearly unimaginable with regards to Communist Party-led China or even one-man-ruled North Korea. Yet it is acceptable and encouraged with respect to the third-rate capitalist country that Russia has now become.
And it is here, perhaps, where the key to the puzzle lies. It is not wise to hurl street-level insults at a country that is your real geopolitical competitor and has enough power to make you regret your behavior. That was the case with the USSR yesterday, and this is the case with the People’s Republic of China today.
The ideological challenge presented to freewheeling capitalist individualism by stern communist collectivism also helped to maintain a modicum of respect throughout the Cold War years. It was only when Russia went capitalist, and conspicuously failed to advance into the ranks of the top economies, that former respect gave way to contempt. It was only after Russia abandoned its communist ethics that it became subject to the Western media hooliganism exemplified by The New York Times’ distasteful satire.
Western hatred of Putin cannot be explained by Crimea, or Donbass, or the alleged poisoning of four individuals of no interest to the Kremlin by a military-grade nerve toxin with a recognizably “Russian” signature. It can be explained by one thing only – Russia’s successful opposition to the US world-domination machine.
Were Russia still a Soviet socialist state, this hatred could yet be complemented by respect. But a capitalist Russia trying to oppose the world’s leading capitalist nation, while falling ever further behind in trade and economy – such a Russia can only elicit hatred complemented with contempt. Which makes for ever more vitriolic Russophrenia.
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Such sheeps… https://www.britannica.com/event/Jonestown-massacre
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The US is in the middle of yet another Joe McCarthy moment. Remember when the US press and government in naked fear of a communist bashing senator buckled under and would not dare oppose McCarthy. Here we are again with a lynch mob mentality seemingly taking over the entire country. Any contrary comment to the universal american narrative about Russia, Trump and Putin labled treasonous and or the perpetrator a Russian stooge. I wonder how this disgraceful period will look 30 years from now? And will any influential person have the cajones to step up and defend the President and his country from this collective insanity.
Very true. The same way they bite their fingers at Iran after the revolution kicked the puppet Shah installed by Eisenhower and Churchill who gave them so much room to milk the Islamic republic dry.
As a Canadian watching the 2016 US election, I knew Trump was a serial liar, the most self-centred, egotistical, megalomaniac I had ever seen in Public Life.
Under Trump, The Environmental Protection Agency has mutated into the Environmental Pollution Agency. His tax plan follows the Bush policies that saw a Global Financial Meltdown-Economic Pearl Harbour in the last months of his 8 year Administration, the richer you are, the more TAX CASH BACK you get.
The one thing that made sense was his stated desire to find the way to rapprochement with Russia. This was more significant to me than anyone else, including the Power Elites, because of this Public record published by The Kansas City Times, September 13, 1976.
It’s taken over 42 years for the World to finally see the details of the 1976 Vision unfolding in Real Time. “He came to town for the Republican National Convention and will stay until the election in November TO DO GOD’S BIDDING: To tell the world, from Kansas City, this country has been found wanting and its days are numbered […] He gestured toward a gleaming church dome. “The gold dome is the symbol of Babylon,” he said.” […] He wanted to bring to the Public’s attention an “idea being put out subtly and deceptively” by the government that we have to get prepared for a war with Russia.”
Great article! The campaigne against Russia can be understood in economic terms. It has vast natural sources awaiting exploitation. But it is not willing to let the capitalists led by the US loot them. They had no problem with Yeltsin’s Russia, because the drunken president let them.
All the corporate media do is yell and scream. This is the only thing they know how, in the belief that if they do it long enough, people will be swayed. Sadly, that often works, as Goebbels showed.