by Claudiu Secara

In a few words, the people behind Trump understand that the West cannot win a military confrontation against Russia over Ukraine. Pretty obvious at this stage.

The Russian army started the invasion with the false assumption that Ukraine would collapse just by the show of the Russian military columns. That was hubris and it cost the Russian army huge losses in men and materiel. Ukraine had its defenses up and they were well informed by the US intelligence as to where the invasion was heading; they just ambushed the unsuspecting troops in a very painful way.

That first moment gave the Ukrainians and the West confidence that the Russian army was just a shade of its former glory. But that euphoria didn’t last too long. After three years of facing each other, it is the Ukrainian army which is suffering ambush after ambush.

Faced with humiliating defeat on the battlefield, the West had to change tack. Stop the bloodshed, call for a ceasefire, freeze the frontline and take a different offensive against Russia.

And that’s how we came to have Trump, fully endorsed by the oligarchy. Even the lifelong billionaire democrats demonstrated in the last round of the electoral charade that they’d got the memo and endorsed Trump.

So what’s different now? The quintessential snake oil salesman, Trump promised everything and one more to the delusional masses. End of the war in the first day and full economic recovery in the next day.

So let’s follow the Trumpian peace plan. First, snatch Syria from the arms of Russia with a snap of the fingers. Inflict the most humiliating defeat on Russia in recent memory. Induce the loss of credibility in Russia’s omnipotence among its cheerleaders and take away its vital stronghold in tbe Middle East. Show the world that the emperor has no cloths. The loss of Syria is incalculable in terms of future projection of strength by Russia. On top of that Russia is now virtually surrounded. It is in a deadly chokehold. Turkey, Syria, Iraq and soon to be Iran are blocking Russia’s vital access to the world. Every move outside its borders can now be monitored and placated.

But even more disturbing is the success crowning the Islamist fervor right at Russia’s southern borders. The Islamists from the outside can now infiltrate Russia’s souther border almost with impunity. That is the next front the West is preparing for Russia while Russia celebrates its takeover of Donbas.

This second front is what Trump is all about. His friendly gestures regarding Ukraine are only the pantomime of the prestidigitator while stealing your watch.