Seems to me that Russia is planning something really big against the US.

[Kablooie]

Russia influences the election for Trump, the FBI deliberately tries to drown Hillary, Trump chooses Putin buddies for his cabinet, Trump defends Russia, tries to stop any election investigations and ignores his security briefings so he will deliberately be ignorant of any growing threat.

All this sounds like Trump is setting the country up so Russia can execute some big action against the US.

Maybe Trump is expected to hold back the US military while Russia makes some violent moves.
Or Russia could be planning some big event here in the US that would result in a coup.

Why would Trump play with Putin like this? Just for some business dealing favoritism?
Unlikely.
More likely Putin has something over Trump that he is blackmailing him with.
Perhaps it involves Comey too. Who knows?

But there is clearly something very, very, very serious and dangerous going on behind the scenes and if it isn't quashed soon we will find ourselves living in a different world.
The kind of world you read about in history books and are glad you weren't living then.

[unblock]

1. Much more likely Putin wants to rebuild the soviet empire

He just wants to make sure the u.s. doesn't interfere with his plans.

I'd be worried if I were the Baltic states....

[Dave Starsky]

15. Make the USSR Great Again!

Both Trump and Putin want to bring their countries back to the glorious 1950s, with all of the air and water pollution, the nuclear threat, and none of the postwar economic boom.

[Chasstev365]

31. Bye Bye Ukraine!

Those Democrats are so soft on the military. Trump is tough and the world will fear him!

[LisaL]

51. My feelings exactly.

Putin isn't going to attack US, but if I were one of the former Soviet Union republics, I might be a little worried.

[canetoad]

2. I think

It's all about dismantling NATO.

[Bettie]

24. That's what I think too

Putin will take back the states that were once part of the USSR and will do so brutally. The US will not interfere, because Twittler is in charge here, so NATO will be pretty much neutered.

[KamaAina]

33. "Twittler" FTW!!

[independentpiney]

42. I think so too and it's particularly over the Baltic states membership.

Putin, and probably any other Russian leader, is going to want their 'near abroad' either in their camp or non-aligned. I don't think he cares about the rest of the former Warsaw Pact members. I know it's probably not a popular position on DU, but I think it was a dangerous move to grant the Baltic's membership.

[Quayblue]

61. Yep nt

[roamer65]

3. It's about expanding the Sino-Russian sphere of influence.

Read about SCO. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

It would involve weakening the US and NATO.

[Warren DeMontague]

4. Putin will get Trump to back off on Syria and the Ukraine.

Putin gets to play his greater geopolitical influence and increased Russian power at home, where the Russian economy is suffering from low oil prices.

Trump may be personally in hock to the Russians, too. Like financially. I remember reading that Western banks had stopped loaning him money.

And of course as others have noted if they hacked both the RNC and DNC, who knows what material they're holding onto with which they could blackmail the RNC.

I don't think Russia wants the US destroyed, it just wants a weaker US that isn't meddling in what it perceives as its interests.

[Jean-Jacques Roussea]

5. WWIII

Russia, America, Philippines/Taiwan/Japan (Eastern operating bases), Pakistan vs. Europe, (isolationist) Britain, China, Iran , India.

Russia takes the Ukraine, America turns Mexico into such an unstable region that it completely blocks military advances from South America (basically becomes a lava pit). Large contingents of military forces are positioned around the Pacific between China and the US. Keeps China docile until total war. Using US weapons and a weakened Indian economy, Pakistan advances on the border. Iran gets smothered by Russian encroachment while the US reoccupies Iraq.

[KamaAina]

34. Military advances from South America?

The Pan-American Highway was never completed between Colombia and Panama.

[Jean-Jacques Roussea]

47. China and India moving troops through the south Pacific and installing them

in Venezuela etc would be our biggest Achilles heel. The Philippines can't block them if they go down around the south pole.

[KamaAina]

48. India? Aren't they on our side?

[Jean-Jacques Roussea]

49. Did ya' miss this story?

Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif called President-elect USA Donald Trump and felicitated him on his victory. President Trump said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif you have a very good reputation. You are a terrific guy. You are doing amazing work which is visible in every way. I am looking forward to see you soon. As I am talking to you Prime Minister, I feel I am talking to a person I have known for long. Your country is amazing with tremendous opportunities. Pakistanis are one of the most intelligent people. I am ready and willing to play any role that you want me to play to address and find solutions to the outstanding problems. It will be an honor and I will personally do it. Feel free to call me any time even before 20th January that is before I assume my office.

On being invited to visit Pakistan by the prime minister, Mr. Trump said that he would love to come to a fantastic country, fantastic place of fantastic people. Please convey to the Pakistani people that they are amazing and all Pakistanis I have known are exceptional people, said Mr. Donald Trump.

[Adsos Letter]

52. Please provide a link to that block quote.

Just standard practice here.

[Jean-Jacques Roussea]

54. her

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/11/30/pakistans-surprisingly-candid-readout-of-trumps-phone-call-with-prime-minister/?utm_term=.0665aad5bd75

[Adsos Letter]

55. Thank you. n/t

[Nevernose]

6. Planning? Their plan's already executed

They've installed their puppet as president and that president's cabinet is loaded with pro-Russian, anti-sanity lunatics.

Everything else at this point is gravy.

[MANative]

16. Bingo!

[eShirl]

17. And that's just the executive branch.

[workinclasszero]

19. No kidding right?

I'd say subverting the US presidential elections to get your very own KGB spy installed is pretty damn big eh?

And getting away with this act of war is the cherry on top!

[msongs]

7. invade latvia lituania and estonia one second after comrade trump takes the oath. nt

[ecstatic]

8. It's very unsettling! I don't understand how rethugs can sleep

at night with this obvious crisis looming. Feels like the twilight zone or a massive conspiracy. I'm truly worried.

[ffr]

9. I fully expect the GOP to remain silent while Russia rolls over its former allies. Putin's a genius!

With the U.S. out of the way and out of NATO, Putin can run the tables.

And every unpatriotic gullible brown-shirt in this country will have egg on their faces for selling the Stars and Stripes down the river to Russian complacency. Lap dog president elect. Lap dog congress, lead by lap dogs Benedict McConnell and Paul Ryan.

Sell outs, all!

[workinclasszero]

23. "I fully expect the GOP to remain silent while Russia rolls over its former allies."

You know they will, the bastards.

They are fully on board with Comrade Trump and his puppet master, come what may.

Sorry future victims of Putin's expanding Empire.

[NBachers]

10. They've already instigated a top-level crisis that will dismember the United States of America.

And they got the Americans to do it themselves.

All that's missing now is the Reichstag Fire terror event.

I believe they're perfectly capable of bringing down our entire energy delivery structure, if they wanted to.

[romana]

11. NATO

It's all about breaking down NATO.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

12. More likely invoke a trade war against China....

That, and giving our Right Wing a few well aimed nukes in the Middle East.

Israel should be very nervous.

[TeamPooka]

13. Putin wants Eastern Europe like kids want candy

[Ilsa]

14. K&R. There are

some predictions in this thread worth reading.

[oberliner]

18. Quite the opposite

This is best case scenario for Russia.

[workinclasszero]

20. Trump is a Putin puppet

Trump and his pro russian thug government will give Putin full rein to do any damn thing he wants to do with no worries over US interference of any kind.

I expect the russian tanks to roll over his neighbors soon.

NATO is on its own. Comrade Dump will order our troops to stand down if Putin wants to challenge Europe in any way, you can count on that!

[Thinkingabout]

38. Putin does not need to take action, Trump will give it up willing.

[workinclasszero]

41. True enough

Comrade Dumpf could just give an anti-NATO speech then start drawing down troops in the EU creating a power vacuum.

Which Putin will happily fill up, no doubt.

We have to watch Trump closely and see if his actions are in sync with Putin's aims in Europe and elsewhere.

[OregonBlue]

21. I suspect that Trump and the clowns he's appointing actually believe that Russia could be our friend

After all, they are all to happy to compliment him and lend him money. He is such a narcissist that that is all it takes. On the other hand, he believes that China is our enemy.
We now know that Russia is moving new missiles into Easter Europe and Trump is threatening to leave NATO.


http://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2016/12/08/504737811/russia-seen-moving-new-missiles-to-eastern-europe

Since I find it hard to believe that Trump is an actual traitor, I'm assuming that the is so sick that he doesn't even realize he is being played by a much sharper player than he will ever be. For people like him and Tillerson, it's all about the money. Money is their GOD.

[KittyWampus]

36. Yes, they are playing a game where they are outmatched. They're so blinded by money

[OregonBlue]

67. Agreed. Trump really believes he's smart. He is just Putin tool.

[TheBlackAdder]

22. Ukraine & Poland. Poland is deemed as an acceptable loss to NATO. No regional conflict.

.


While the Ukraine isn't part of NATO, Poland is.

NATO will not get into direct regional conflicts with the reclaimation of former Soviet nations.


.

[workinclasszero]

26. Lord I hope poor Poland is not in Russia's sights yet again

Putin with pliable client Dumpf installed in the White House and a scared NATO not daring to stand up to the Russian bear...

It's not looking good.

[jberryhill]

28. Oh absolutely Poland and the Baltics

[workinclasszero]

32. Poland and the Baltics...

Cursed by geographic location next to mother Russia.

Just damn.

[TheBlackAdder]

30. My US Intel class, taught by an IC consultant: Ukraine might fall, followed by Poland. Taiwan poss.

.


If the Ukraine falls, it's 50/50 for Poland to go within the next year.


If Trump keeps stoking China, it will heighten current political instability and might drive them to invade Taiwan.

This will be a bloodbath, since almost all citizens are combat trained and conscripted. The US will do nothing.
The US will not engage China as that violates the cardinal rule--no more ground battles in the Asian theater.

Oh, and the above is said to be common knowledge with the International IC, including Russia & China.


.

[workinclasszero]

37. I wouldn't put it pass Comrade Trump to intervene in Taiwan

Does Putin and his lapdog want to put the squeeze on China?

Of course Dump longs to use those ICBM's so there's that.

[independentpiney]

45. I don't think he's concerned about Poland, he has Belarus as a buffer there

The Baltic States are another matter. I'd hate to see military alliances turn what should be a regional conflict into a world war, we've been there before.

[Initech]

25. What Russia did wasn't mere election tampering, it was an act of war.

And those who allowed it to happen committed treason against the US. Let us not forget that!!! The MSM needs to be reporting this angle!

[jberryhill]

27. Using Natural Gas supply as leverage against Europe

Their designs are not so much about the US per SE, but in sidelining the US while they regain lost ground in Europe and the Baltics.

[Squinch]

29. Also all of them want a war with Iran to gin up cash, so that probably has something to do with it.

[KittyWampus]

35. Russia is going to be making big bucks drilling in the Arctic. And expanding territory.

[enid602]

39. Putin

Could be that Russia just wants to annex Ukraine. That would be bad enough, but I think it's worse. Don't forget that for the last decade, Putin formed and was the principal spokesperson for the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) countries, whose stated ambition and purpose was to end the US Dollar's reign as the world reserve currency. It's pretty simple really; if countries adopt another currency as the reserve currency, there will be no need for foreigners to hold the US Dollars they currently hold. The US Dollar is somewhat unique, in that more than 90% of the dollars in circulation are held outside of the US. When all those dollars come home, inflation reaches hyper levels in the US. I think Putin wants to see this, as he has a long memory, and wants the US to suffer the same degree of humiliation that he personally suffered when the USSR collapsed.

[haele]

40. Not against the US, but Russia is moving in an attempt to regain the old Soviet states

The rest of Ukraine, Georgia, and Estonia at the very least. Any place in Europe where there is still a Russian population left over from the old Stalinist regime is in his plans. Many of whom are currently either part of the EU or of NATO.
Only thing Trump needs to do is stand down and ensure the US military does not interfere.

However, Russia will want us as a buffer to China; China has always been a greater threat to Russia - the conflict runs very deep - and is much harder to influence politically.

As for the Middle East, so long as we leave his buddies in Syria and Iran alone, Putin will be happy enough to let us drown in quagmire going after "terrorists"; I can see him encouraging the US military to take actions that will hurt Turkey and the peninsular Arab states that currently compete with Russia. So long as it's the United States wasting what little reputation we have destroying our own economy and military capability, so long as we turn into a third world country of our own greed and arrogance, hacking the US government and paying unemployed twenty-somethings in the Balkans is the best investment his government could make.

Haele

[Abu Pepe]

43. Putin just wants us to not get in the way as he rebuilds the Russian Empire. The Baltic states will

be reabsorbed as will Ukraine.

[Horse with no Name]

44. my guess is that trump owes Russia lots of money

and this is that bill coming due.

[suffragette]

46. Goodbye ANWR. Hello joint U.S. and Russia arctic drilling and increased global warming.

Why plan something against the U.S. when the pieces are now in place for accords and joint actions that U.S. CEOs and Russian oligarchs have been pushing for?

Sanctions interfered with those plans. With Republicans in control of all branches, that will likely change.

No worries for them about pesky regulation since all Trump appointees are for deregulation and either deny climate change or in the case of Tillerson, acknowledge it's real, but maintain that we will just need to adjust to new realities.

Previously, they were just aiming for drilling on the Russian side. Now they can exploit both sides in a joint venture.


https://www.bloomberg.com/gadfly/articles/2016-10-12/exxon-mobil-suffers-from-russia-u-s-tensions

Tillerson had spent time in the 1990s overseeing a flagship Exxon project in Russia. And he flew there in 2011 to meet with Putin and announce a strategic partnership with Rosneft, the national oil company that absorbed Yukos' main assets after Khodorkovsky was thrown in jail.The two companies were to jointly develop potentially massive oil reserves in Russia's Arctic waters, the Black Sea, and Siberian unconventional resources. Putin spoke of investments from the deal eventually reaching perhaps $500 billion -- a big number even for Exxon. No sooner had the venture struck oil beneath the Kara Sea, though, than Exxon was forced to down tools as U.S. sanctions over the Ukraine crisis kicked in.

~~~
What Exxon, like any major, really seeks are very large, oil-focused prospects that play to its strengths, where reserves can be booked periodically to top up the tank and high upfront costs can be defrayed over decades of production. In other words, exactly what Russia potentially offered. Whether focusing on such mega-projects is a good way to go is debatable, but for now that is Exxon's way. And the company's judgment on this score has notably been called into question this year. For example, as Wolfe Research analyst Paul Sankey has pointed out, the cut to Exxon's triple-A credit rating by Standard & Poor's was directly linked to concerns around the huge spending required to replace its reserves.

Never forget - money makes their world go 'round.

[wishstar]

58. Trump's election will greatly increase Russian power and control of oil interests worldwide

With financial windfalls for Exxon and American oil companies at the expense of our environment.

I am expecting market manipulations that will lower value of US Dollar and raise cost of oil causing inflation in US and much higher profits for oil companies of US and Russia.

[suffragette]

60. Good point about market manipulations. That or some kind of false flag that creates an

"Energy crisis" that can 'only' be alleviated by Russian and American drilling in previously blocked areas and ways.

I added some info to my post above and created a thread about the issue.

I think there are some serious and terrifying ramifications to this.

[wishstar]

63. Big oil influence during Bush/Cheney was an 8 year disaster

During Clinton Admin, oil execs whined about prices being too low for them to make a profit and sure enough when two oil guys were put in office, price quadrupled after Iraq invasion

Guess we can expect major attempts by Trump & Co to slow down and curtail development of alternate energy too since that is seen as threat to oil profits

But lifting sanctions on Russia and enabling Putin's power grabs opens up possibility of all sorts of worldwide catastrophes

[suffragette]

66. Your points are all too true. And when catastrophe hits, then we'll see more Shock Doctrine.

It's grim, but the sooner we acknowledge these possibilities, the sooner we can do whatever we can to oppose.

[LisaL]

50. I don't think Russia is planning anything against US.

But US was preventing Russia from doing whatever it is it was planning to do (not against US). Now seems Russia can do whatever it wants.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

53. I don't expect any direct action against the USA... more like NATO allies.

Given Trump's mental/emotional problems, our still-bustling military-industrial complex and our many war hawks, they might try something more direct eventually.

[DFW]

56. Well, surely he's not going to do anything off the wall like install Donald Trump as president?

Oh, wait.

Never mind.

[maryellen99]

57. Even though this is fiction I could see this happening

Let's hope it doesn't

[vdogg]

59. They pretty much overthrew our government.

If there's something bigger, I don't want to know what that is...

[Bucky]

62. it's all about Syria, which is all about suppressing the oil trade

Under Putin Russia has become a major oil supplier to Europe. He's keeping Syria messed up so there won't be competition to his oil and gas Monopoly in Central Europe.

Keeping leverage over Eastern Europe Is about Putin extending control over his neighbors. Putting Trump in the White House is all about making sure the US is not bringing peace to Syria or backbone to Ukraine.

[McCamy Taylor]

64. Trump will attack Iran in order to raise the price of Russia's crude.

This is his "Mandate". Russia does not want to fight a war--so they will have our soldiers die for them. And our country will take the flack if we nuke them.

Pentagon where are you one this? Do you really want to fight another war for oil? If the military were to call Trump a threat a lot more people would pay attention.

[Takket]

65. putin wants to expand his sphere of influence worldwide

and neutering the US by basically controlling our government from Moscow leaves him free to do so. Trump is Putin's puppet. I don't think Putin has any particular interest in doing anything to the USA militarily, he just wants us out of his meddling in Asian and European affairs, and now he's got his wish.

[Iggo]

68. Gee! You think?

[Initech]

69. HEY ALEX JONES!!! THIS IS WHAT AN ACTUAL CONSPIRACY LOOKS LIKE!

Pizzagate is not a conspiracy. It is 100% grade a bullshit! This is an actual conspiracy. Get it?