Issues Under Fire: Putin: Popular, Powerful, but Possibly "Patsy in the Making"
Vladimir Putin may be riding high fresh off his landslide victory to lead Russia for another six years, but he'd be wise to be careful moving forward because the West might be setting him up to be the world's biggest 21st-century patsy. Think about it. The world always needs a brute, a beast or bully to rally against. So creating the Monster from Moscow will play big on the world stage. Considering Putin's arsenal of nuclear weapons, a formidable air force, an impressive navy, an enviable space program, an international spy network and a cyber-war machine second to none, he's made to order for the role of global villain. This is the stuff Bond movies are made of, only it could be true.
Cast as the Minister of Sinister, or SPECTRE in the flesh, Vladimir Putin has been accused of ordering the killing of a Russian spy who flipped for the Brits years ago. And, "they" also got the spy's daughter. Called out by British Prime Minister Teresa May, she alleges the two were poisoned with a nerve agent called Novichok. Nasty stuff too! According to the Russian scientists who developed the weaponized chemical, it's the deadliest nerve agent ever made, as it's five to eight times more potent than VX. VX is short for venomous agent X. If exposed to Novichok, death is certain. However, before the victims expire, they'll experience foaming at the mouth, uncontrollable urination and defecation, gastrointestinal distress and a lot of vomiting. A ghastly ending to say the least. But wait, there's more.
Vladimir Putin is also said to have had a hand in the demise of another longtime foe and fierce critic exiled in the U.K. Counter-terror police launched a murder investigation just days ago after 68-year-old businessman Nikolai Glushkov was found strangled in his south London home. According to the telegraph.co.uk, the former boss of Russia's state airline, Aeroflot, had told friends he feared he was on a Kremlin hit list. If he was, he ain't anymore. And the Brits are convinced Putin's fingerprints can be found on Glushkov's neck. After all, Putin is a former KGB agent. That's how KGB agents operate. They're trained to kill quickly and silently, without leaving witnesses or evidence behind. And since operations like these have to be sanctioned at the highest levels of government, Vladimir Putin had to have given the order himself.
You gotta admit, this is a great story so far, but they'll never make it stick. They never have and they never will. Oh, there will be a lot of news and even more noise about the new Cold War, but beyond the accusations, there will be little if any proof provided. And the reason is simple. Putin is slick, clever and cunning. Which is all the more reason he's being framed as a global gangster. A tough guy. A badass. Planet Enemy Number One. If a major cyber-crime is committed, the Russians did it. If a nation's elections are tampered with, the Russians were behind it. If somebody important drops dead or disappears, you got it, the Kremlin called the shots. And while Vladimir Putin may be guilty as charged in every case made against him, he's never been caught Red-Handed (no pun intended).
Still, as slick, clever and cunning as Putin has played the game so far, he could be playing right into the hands of the West. Hawkish voices have been trying to goad Iran into a fight for years. But Tehran won't take the bait. As long as the Iranians remain compliant with the internationally negotiated nuclear agreement, it's difficult to rally the world against them. Syria's Bashar al-Assad would've made a great villain. He was accused of war crimes, crimes against humanity and gassing his own people, but Assad is only a regional threat, he has no nukes and no delivery system if he did. And of course, there was Kim Jong-un of North Korea. Unfortunately, no matter how hard the Trump administration tried, they just couldn't sell "Little Rocket Man" to the world as a global threat. Perhaps they shouldn't have called Kim "Little Rocket Man". It didn't sound scary enough.
Bottom line: Donald Trump may have had to be brought along kicking and screaming, but it looks as though he's decided to join the world in making Russia's Vladimir Putin bogeyman of the year. And why not? He's tailor-made for the title. He's got nukes and he's threatened to use them. Vladimir Putin's alleged actions and suspected ambitions are guaranteed to trigger a multi-trillion dollar Cold War arms race over the next few years. And that means unprecedented profits for the world's military-industrial complex. So, call your broker today because it's all about defense stocks tomorrow. Remember, just follow the money and you'll never go wrong. Podcast below.
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