Putin the lawyer?

On the Duran, the two Alexanders have posted a very interesting video which purports to explain Putin’s legal arguments to justify checkmating negotiations with the Kiev regime, contrary to what Trump wants.

This is actually only the first part of the discussion. The second focuses on the “logic” of Trump’s policies. Click here or on the graphic.

Part 1

Mercouris is, of course, a lawyer. And so is Putin — although there is no evidence, despite what Alexander suggests, that Putin was ever a practicing lawyer. He is, however, correct in suggesting the Russian President has a “legal” mind. But whether or not Putin “practiced” the law is irrelevant, as we shall see.

I have a lot of lawyers in my family, including two Supreme Court justices, so I am familiar with the “legal” mind — or — more correctly — with legal minds (plural) since there are several different kinds— just as there are different kinds of lawyers.

That said, we can categorize lawyers into two kinds (roughly speaking, for simplicity’s sake) —lawyers who work with documents and case law—and are primarily analytical. In this case, study and experience matter a lot and a legal mentality is acquired or “received”.

Then there are “litigators”, courtroom lawyers who must think on their feet and argue and persuade. Their abilities are based on natural abilities and gifts— honed through practice. That’s Putin. But no mistake: he was born with that kind of mind

The first kind of lawyers go by the book and are a dime a dozen. Except they cost a lot more than a dime, of course. Where I grew up there were thousands of them.

Good litigators, however, are extremely rare. Back in Vancouver Canada, I figured there were probably about 50 really competent professionals in the field, capable of convincing a jury. These people are attuned to human nature, innovative, and sometimes do unexpected things, thinking outside of the box. They too were born to the job.

In this case, Putin has a valid argument about negotiations with Ukraine , which is basically commonsense— but he frames the issues legalistically— all the while knowing that the West doesn’t give a fig about “legality”. It’s strategic because he doesn’t expect the Americans to dispute what he says — that he can only negotiate with an elected government— which Ukraine does not have, therefore ipso facto “lacking sovereignty”.

It is an elegant maneuver. “Yes, we will talk. But there can be no agreements because there is no one with authority to make an agreement. “

Basically, the Russians understand that Americans respect only power —”might makes right” —and that, with every passing day, the American position weakens. The Ukraine is like American infrastructure — it is broken and it cannot be repaired.

Trump’s policies are a highway to nowhere. A highway with huge potholes and broken bridges.

Trump can huff and puff and threaten to blow Moscow down: a sign of desperation.

Trump’s over-the-top antics only serve to unify the Russian public further in support of a total defeat of Ukraine, while encouraging Russian hardliners and setting the stage for a humiliating defeat of the West later. Nothing the US does can change the fact that Russia holds all the cards.

Part 2

After dealing with the logic of Putin’s argument in the first part of the video, the Alexanders try to dissect the logic of Trump’s policies.

Here, they do not do as well because…there is no rationality to those policies at all : they are formed on the basis of delusional beliefs and fallacies.

Some will say that Trump and his people are misinformed by the US intelligence briefings. But isn’t Trump the guy who claims to want to dismantle the “deep state” and “drain the swamp”? What swamp is deeper than the NSA and the CIA? And surely, somebody on this “team” can read! Elon Musk? Oh, only 280 characters/

Incongruities notwithstanding the Alexes want to be “rational” — which is of course irrational when dealing with geopolitics.

Trump’s policy is long-standing US tradition—things you just believe in —in some sense a political religion, with chapter and verse directing you to Armageddon.

It is Americanism — a belief system like Zionism whose main tenet is the superiority of its adherents.

Don’t be misled by Rubio;s comments on the new “MultiPolar World”— that’s just a ripoff name for the Old Cold War concept of “contained conflict” — but with America always Number One and all competitors confined to limited “spheres of influence”.

Cold war, warm war, soft war…whatever. It is still some kind of war. We win, everybody else loses.

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