The Western media spin about Putin ‘endorsing’ Donald Trump is an attempt to slam both of them with one blow, says Richard B. Spencer, editor and founder of Radix journal.
RT: Why did the American media become so excited about Putin's remarks on Donald Trump?
Richard B. Spencer: I know it is very unusual for the American media to be hysterical and shrill; they are usually so calm and collected and rational. In all seriousness, Trump has been this force that I think the mainstream media doesn’t feel like it can really control. And so they are attacking him by basically saying that Putin “endorsed” Donald Trump. He didn’t really endorse him. He said some diplomatic things about Donald Trump, not endorse him. And again the American media has been demonizing Vladimir Putin, in particular, and really Russia, in general, as a country and as a society for quite some time, at least five years probably going on a decade. So, this was a kind of twofer for the American media. They could slam Trump, who they don’t trust, they don’t feel he’s the force they can control and they could also slam Putin and Russia.
RT: Why is so much attention being paid to relations between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump?
RS: I think that Putin and Trump in a way offer an alternative to what’s going on at the moment. They offer an alternative what you call neo-conservative or neoliberal foreign policy. I would stress that Vladimir Putin didn’t endorse Donald Trump. But I would say that Vladimir Putin probably sees Donald Trump as a positive phenomenon in a sense that the way different world leaders interact, really they interact through foreign policy. Donald Trump does not seem to be an ideological person, someone who would want to spread democracy, to overthrow dictators, spread the American truth, justice and American way to the world, particularly the Muslim world. He doesn’t seem to operate on this ideological basis. He seems to operate on the idea of “there’re other powers, we are going to have to get along with them, we are going to have to deal with them.” I think Trump would probably be sympathetic, I actually know he would be sympathetic because he is set so exclusively towards many of Putin’s and Russia’s actions against ISIS. I don’t think Trump exclusively says that he does not want to simply overthrow Assad in Syria as some gesture towards the wonderful nest of democracy. Trump would be - whatever you might think about Trump, you think he is bombastic, he is vulgar, I get it, he is kind of this - but if you actually look at his statements carefully, I think he would be a much more realistic actor in foreign affairs. And I think he would be a much more peaceful actor in foreign affairs. Believe it or not.
RT: Putin praised Trump's desire to "move to a different level of relations, to more solid, deeper relations with Russia.” How can he be criticized for that?
RS: This is another thing where the American media doesn’t really understand Putin. Because Putin is not a shrill ideologue like they are. Putin will speak diplomatically, will speak carefully and they just don’t get that. I think what Putin is saying when he says that Trump might deepen relations is that Trump is not going to treat Russia as an enemy. Remember, Mitt Romney who wasn’t even the craziest of the conservative bunch said that our number one geopolitical adversary is Russia. That is ridiculous. Anyone who would say that is not looking at the world as it is; they are looking at the world through some 1980’s Cold War rosy glasses. Trump, I think, would really deepen the relations in a sense he wouldn’t treat Russia as the Soviet Union or as Nazi Germany or some rogue state. He would treat Russia realistically as a state that has its interests, that has interests that might align with the US in certain situations and I think he would treat that where conflicts would be Trump would make a deal. He would deal with Russia as a real, legitimate actor of a legitimate state. So, in that sense, I truly do hope Trump gets elected. I think the world would be a more peaceful place with this bombastic man in power.
RT: What significance is the media reading into Putin's remarks? Are these fair enough assumptions or are they reading too much into it?
RS: They are not reading his remarks at all. They are basically spinning his remarks ... So; again Putin said some reasonable diplomatic things about Donald Trump. He said things that I don’t anyone could really objectively disagree with…
The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.