- Russia is not your friend
- Russia was never your friend
- You can’t make Russia to become your friend
- Go back to Commandment #1
- Leave your ego at home – one-on-one, the Russian guy is probably stronger
- Any important Russian official, government or otherwise, should be assumed to either be intelligence or have a connection to intelligence
- Russian officials are not trustworthy – “Trust but Verify” was only good for Gorbachev, for the rest of them it should be “Enforce and Verify”
- Russian officials do not play by the rules, even those they themselves concocted
- Avoid unofficial off the record meetings like the bubonic plague
- Go back to Commandment #1
Jack, I was intrigued by a comment you made on Charlie Rose’ show, when he asked you about Trump’s chances in his meeting with Putin. You replied that Trump would be upstaged, because Putin was a past master at psychological manipulation.
I was fascinated as I perceived a sort of mano a mano gladitorial exchange in which an entire nation’s “brand” could be subjected to a rise or fall depending on the degree of political acumen exhibited by its’ politician on the world stage.
Do you ultimately believe that these meetings make a lasting impression and have a long term impact on the political fate of the countries involved, apart from simply being a staged exchange between dignitaries?
thanks for any insights you may have