I’m having flashbacks to when Obama was president and publicly said that Russia didn’t make anything and attracted no immigration – two claims that were false. It made me wonder if Obama was lying for propaganda purposes or if his advisors were just that incompetent. Recent comments from Trump are making me ask the same question. – Natylie
YouTube link here.
I would say that Obama’s advisors were that incompetent. Obama’s Russian advisors seem to have been in Moscow during Soviet times or in the 1990’s when parts of Russia looked more like Chicago in AL Capone’s era. There were gang shootouts in the streets of St Petersburg. People across the were poverty-stricken and the economy was in chaos.
By the time Obama came to power, Putin and his people had re-established law and order, and the economy was doing very well, thank you. None of Obama’s advisors seem to have visited and seen the difference.
You may find this essay from 2015 on the topic interesting. Patrick Armstrong is a retired Canadian analyst whose entire career was spent as a Soviet/Russian specialist in the Department of National Defence, (DND), and the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, (DIFAIT).
https://patrickarmstrong.ca/2015/03/03/ten-delusions-that-show-obama-hasnt-a-clue-about-russia-and-thats-just-stuff-he-and-his-advisors-dont-know-about-russia/9
I used to cross post some of Armstrong’s stuff back when he was still writing.
My read is a psychologica one: The hegemon cannot let go of its sense of superiority.
*psychological. Sorry of the spelling mistake!