[pohl]

Our media and our government lied to generate a case for war. And I feel lately that they are now trying to build a case for some sort of conflict, presumably cold, against Russia

Our current president has never had a critical thought enter his mind and not have it escape his lips, or his tweeting fingertips – yet Russia (and Putin in particular) have never been in his crosshairs. I think that this fact directly contradicts your hypothesis. Then there is also the mysterious change to the GOP platform around the time of the convention.

[peoplewindow]

He's not criticised New Zealand either, as far as I know. So what?

What Trump disrespects tends to be predictable: not tough enough, too friendly to foreigners, not conservative enough etc. Putin happens to be tough, conservative and not especially friendly to foreigners, all attributes that Trump respects and yet which are not very common amongst world leaders.

It helps that Putin doesn't speak English and - fantasies by Clintonites aside - isn't actually doing much around the world outside of Syria, a place where they mostly spend their time bombing ISIS (something Trump approves of). So there isn't much reason for Trump to talk about them, beyond the constant Russia-linked attacks on him.

[Haydos585x2]

I think you'll find Russia is doing a bit world wide.

They've just finished up the Zapad war games again, denounced Georgia having war games with the US. Getting back into Uzbekistan now that Karimov is gone. Russian companies are now supplying internet and phone service to North Koreans. Crimea is still going on with continuing threats to Ukranian sovereignty. Russian gov has just committed more funds to Kalningrad and the Far East. Two regions with some fairly significant strategic value. Russian has been funding the Venezuelan regime and doing so in a way that dodges US sanctions. Russian government is attempting to put Belarusian military units under their control. Russians have alledgedly been involved with the Catalonian independence movement.

This is not to say other countries aren't busy too but I think it's false to believe that Putin and the Russian government is only involved in Syria.

[peoplewindow]

Russians have alledgedly been involved with the Catalonian independence movement

Lol, here we go ahead. And where's the evidence of that?

I mean damn, those darn Ruskies! Trump, Brexit and Catalonia too! Is there anything happening in western politics that isn't their fault?

Wait, I thought the reason Russia allegedly did something to support Leave in the Brexit referendum was because they wanted countries to leave the EU, but the Catalonian independence movement wants to remain in the EU. So what's the logic there?

[nl]

And where's the evidence of that?

https://medium.com/dfrlab/electionwatch-russia-and-referendu...

http://www.politico.eu/article/russia-catalonia-referendum-f...

Summary: there's been some attempts, but not as well organized or concentrated as the US, French or German election campaigns.

[peoplewindow]

For anyone who can't be bothered to click through, the "evidence" is a report from El Pais which says:

1. RT reported on Catalonia in ways which El Pais didn't like.

2. Julian Assange is guilty of tweeting "opinions" and "half truths". The idea that Assange has something to do with Russia is taken as given, although it's about as credible as the rest of it.

3. "Bots" which re-tweeted the famously Russian American Edward Snowden. No evidence that any such bots exist is provided, nor that anyone in Catalonia cares what Snowden thinks.

4. "Pro Kremlin websites" spread "biased news".

In other words, there's absolutely fuck all evidence of the Russian government doing anything in Catalonia. Rather, El Pais was disgusted to discover that there are people in the world - like Australians and Americans - who don't agree with what Spain is doing. And once more, instead of accepting that the world is full of people who disagree with them, they invented a Russian conspiracy!

This entire episode is truly pathetic.

[nl]

That's a weird response - the links basically support your position that Russian intervention was minimal.

But your response makes it seem like you didn't read it at all! For example, they provide links to some of the Russian twitter accounts:

For example, @DYGq72pblsGauqv (screen name Магаданец Р.Ф.) retweeted a post from Assange comparing events in Catalonia with those on Tiananmen Square in Beijing. This account posts almost exclusively in Russian, and focuses on propaganda accounts, including from the self-proclaimed territory of “Novorossiya” in Ukraine. The great majority of its posts are retweets, marking it as a probable bot.

They also point out these are minority of the amplification: It should be pointed out that these were a minority, compared with the many apparently Catalan and American accounts, both bot and human, which retweeted Assange.

Far from pathetic, I thought they were fairly balanced assessments of the claims.

[dragonwriter]

The unifying motive in Russian propaganda efforts of the last several years is to destabilize other centers of power by exacerbating divisions between and within countries Russia considers less than friendly, particularly in NATO.

Their manipulation with regard to Brexit, Catalonia, and multiple and ideologically-opposed sides in the 2016 US Presidential campaign, among others, all fit this pattern.

[peoplewindow]

OK, so in the space of one post now a Russia-Catalonia connection has progressed from being "alleged" to being stated simply as fact, as if it doesn't even need substantiation at all.

Your post is kind of reminds me of this:

http://media.timeout.com/blogimages/wp-content/uploads/2012/...

A vast shadowy conspiracy which is connected to absolutely everything, even when there are obvious long term political trends that made all these outcomes predictable. Nope, not crazy at all!

[Bendingo]

> Russians have alledgedly been involved with the Catalonian independence movement

Of all the unsubstantiated and ridiculous "Russia did a bad thing" allegations I have heard, this one is the most ridiculous (so far).

A deeper understanding of geopolitics would be gained by studying actual things that have really happened.

[0] https://news.bitcoin.com/moscow-stock-exchange-trade-cryptoc...

[1] http://www.foxbusiness.com/features/2017/09/13/venezuela-sto...

[2] https://www.rt.com/business/403804-russian-sea-ports-ruble-s...

[3] https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-china/saudis-may-se...

[4] https://www.weare121.com/blog/strong-russian-gold-reserve-in...