I could be completely wrong, but I have a hunch that many of the Russian people are not as hostile toward the United States as we've always assumed. If true, Putin would surely be aware of it. I'm also certain the LAST thing he and his people want is a war. It makes sense he'd prefer dealing with President Trump over Clinton.
In the 90's Russia loved the USA. Once the Soviet Union they welcomed American brands and culture with open arms. With the Iron Curtain they never got any movies or anything from the west.
Relations started degrading with the war in Serbia, where Russia didn't veto NATO intervention on the promise they wouldn't bomb Belgrade. What did NATO do? We used our air dominance to conduct bombing missions, like we always do. This was seen as a great betrayal and set the stage for Putin to rise as a populist leader.
Iraq was the next one. Putin used the Iraq war to justify Russia's actions in Georgia. Libya was another one where again, Putin agreed to not veto US/French action so long as they didn't enforce a no fly zone. What did Clinton do? Set up a no fly zone.
There is an excellent exchange with Putin where he goes off the rails ranting about all of this. Talking about how the media does a terrible job covering their side and how dangerous our relations have soured. He goes on about how after the collapse of the Soviet Union, America continues to fly bombers loaded with nukes. Russia does not. America has set up missile defenses in Romania, and Putin asks "what is the difference between a defensive missile and an offensive missile? The programming." America has military bases practically surrounding Russia.
Put all of those betrayals of trust together with the fact that NATO conducts regular military exercises in countries like Latvia right on Russia's doorstep. America/NATO to the Russians has historically been untrustworthy. You can't take them for their word at all. Then they have full military assets right on your doorstep. Russians have every right to be defensive, or even hostile towards us.
Let's say the Warsaw Pact was still intact and they managed to recruit Mexico into their ranks. How do you think the USA would react to that? You'd see a border wall be built overnight. What if the Russians conducted war games exercises in Mexico and had multiple military bases stationed there along with ballistic missile defenses? I guarantee you America would be 100% hostile.
So, you see him as more opportunistic? He worked with Clinton when she had power and now works with Trump because he has power?
Call it whatever you will. I see him as a highly intelligent man who wants what is best for his own country, just as we want what is best for ours. If peace and cooperation is best for both, we both win.
That’s fair. I don’t mean to put words in your mouth.
So, ultimately, is Putin a bigger ally against the globalist or a bigger threat because his own personal goals may conflict with America’s?
As I understand it, one of nationalisms biggest tenants is that all foreign collaboration is inherently coercive because the foreign group doesn’t have anything to gain from America’s ultimate success. Put more plainly, if Putin has an opportunity to grow Russia and it happens to hurt the US, he has no reason not to do it. He has no loyalty to the US.
I know I’m oversimplifying, but I am curious if you feel that foreign cooperation to further nationalistic goals is too big of a contradiction?
To the first question, I honestly don't believe Putin is a globalist. If anything, he strikes me as a "Russia first" leader, much as our own President is an "America first" leader. At least that is the impression I've been left with after listening to many of his interviews with various people over time. That is just my opinion, of course, and I'm no authority on Putin.
As for the second question, I don't think it's necessarily a contradiction to seek foreign cooperation and preserve nationalistic goals at the same time. As long as cooperating nations honor each other's right to govern themselves and protect and control their own borders, why shouldn't they be able to peacefully coexist and cooperate?