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Syria: A calculated risk
Moscow’s decision to intervene in Syria, in the fall of 2015, was undertaken after a careful analysis of risks and potential rewards, because Russia could not stand by while an international terrorist organization (Islamic State, also known as ISIS) grew in its vicinity.







Venezuela: ‘We do not meddle in things’



“When a person enters a square, raises his eyes to the sky and proclaims himself president? Let us do the same in Japan, the US or Germany. What will happen? Do you understand that this will cause chaos all over the world?” Putin asked back, referring to the US-backed opposition leader Juan Guaido’s attempt to seize power in Caracas.

North Korea as failure of international security


The real question is not how to disarm Pyongyang, but “how to make any country, including North Korea, feel safe and protected by international law that is strictly honored by all members of the international community,” the Russian president told FT.



Globalism has failed US middle class
Donald Trump is president of the US because he realized that the American middle class did not benefit from globalization, Putin argued, adding that this helps explain Trump’s economic policies and relations with partners and allies.



“He believes that the distribution of resources and benefits of globalization in the past decade was unfair to the US,” Putin said. Indeed, he argued, one of the major problems in the US but in Europe as well is that the “ruling elites have broken away from the people.”





Respect for all ideas



What a load of BS (unsurprising)

Putin supported Assad because Syria is an important partner to Russia. That simple.

Russia meddles everywhere they can, just like the U.S. They are not exceptional.

Juan Guaido is an elected official acting within their constitution, not "some guy in a square declaring he's president".

North Korea is still at war with the South. If they want to feel warm and fuzzy about international security then make a peace treaty.

Nice spin about Trump, who did not run on middle class issues or any sort of anti-wealthy elites platform. That was Sanders.


Respect for all ideas? Hmmm, like jailing or murdering anyone with different ideas is a great sign of respect, I guess.