Atlantic Council "Wakes Up".

Poor, poor dears at the Atlantic Council--they are more concerned with RT NOT writing the headline, while in reality RT did write it, as did I. Here is what Atlantic Council writes now:

It sounds like the stuff of Kremlin propaganda, but it’s not. Last week Hromadske Radio revealed that Ukraine's Ministry of Youth and Sports is funding the neo-Nazi group C14 to promote "national patriotic education projects" in the country. On June 8, the Ministry announced that it will award C14 a little less than $17,000 for a children’s camp. It also awarded funds to Holosiyiv Hideout and Educational Assembly, both of which have links to the far-right. The revelation represents a dangerous example of law enforcement tacitly accepting or even encouraging the increasing lawlessness of far-right groups willing to use violence against those they don't like. Since the beginning of 2018, C14 and other far-right groups such as the Azov-affiliated National Militia, Right Sector, Karpatska Sich, and others have attacked Roma groups several times, as well as anti-fascist demonstrations, city council meetings, an event hosted by Amnesty International, art exhibitions, LGBT events, and environmental activists. On March 8, violent groups launched attacks against International Women’s Day marchers in cities across Ukraine. In only a few of these cases did police do anything to prevent the attacks, and in some they even arrested peaceful demonstrators rather than the actual perpetrators.

Meanwhile, Margo Simonyan of RT wrote today an excellent piece (in Russian) for Ria. The title of a piece is excellent:

Dear Atlantic Council, You Know Horseradish (the next up is  Dick--in Russia horseradish is a euphemism for dick) About Surrounding World.

I have to go with Margo here since she hits it right in the bulls eye. I will translate just one para from her piece:

Может, вы, наконец, поймете, что вы не верите нам не потому, что мы врем, а потому что вы не знаете ни хрена об окружающем мире, потому что плохо образованы, читаете мало и не то, ездите не туда, общаетесь с одной и той же горсточкой предвзятых и/или сумасшедших людей, которые только подкрепляют ваше высокомерное невежество.

Translation: Maybe you will finally understand that you do not believe us not because we lie, but because you know horseradish (dick) about surrounding world, because you are badly educated, do not read much and when do, do not read what is needed, you visit all the wrong places and communicate with the same small bunch of prejudiced and/or mental people, who only reinforce your condescending ignorance.

But I want to go even further and recall what Andrei Bezrukov, a former intelligence man and now a professor in the Department of Applied Analysis of International Problems of the famed MGIMO wrote a month and a half ago in his no gimmicks, bottom line, piece with the title (in Russian) What Is Our Strength.

В чем их слабость? Как противники эти ребята – серость, второй сорт. Заелись. Их предыдущее поколение было сильнее. Они нас уважали. А мы их. Этих мы не уважаем, они того не заслужили. Пугать они могут, а драться – посмотрим... Их бесит, что им скоро придется жить по средствам. Они от этого давно отвыкли. Поэтому они хотят решить проблему с нами сейчас, пока другие их еще боятся.

Translation: What is THEIR weakness? As enemies these guys are mediocrities, second rate. They overate. Their previous generation was stronger. They respected us, we respected them. We don't respect these ones, they didn't deserve it. They can bully, as for the real fight--we'll see about that... They are enraged that soon they will have to live within their means. They forgot how to do so long time ago. That is why they want to solve a problem with us now, while others are still afraid of them.

Each day I see reminders of an intellectual hole current Western so called "elites" dug themselves into. Of course, there are still people among them who know the real score and merely toe the party line, but most are genuine articles--arrogant, uncultured, acrimonious, badly educated, despite sometimes holding several Ph.Ds, and highly unprofessional. The signs are everywhere, everyday--in media, in news, in social networks, on political Parnassus, in economy and in foreign policy which, for the lack of a better word, is exhibit A of sheer incompetence. 

Donald Trump needs Russia, it is as clear as a sunny day, but he lacks that necessary foreign policy refinement which may get him at least some kind of "deal" with Russia which will help him to ensure his second term and maybe, just maybe, a shot at both demolishing the EU, thus giving some small lifeline to American economy, and having Russia take a less pro-active stance in US dealings with China. But Trump's Administration is filled with precisely the types of people described in Simonyan's article--America doesn't produce any other types anymore. So, it is difficult to predict the outcome. In the end, the time for a real deal may simply be gone. As Patrick Armstrong wrote in May:

NO, YOUR INTELLIGENCE IS ACTUALLY BAD. VERY BAD.

I somehow have a hunch that the term "intelligence" here can be used simultaneously with its both meanings.