About the "Big Picture".

Scott nails it. I have been at this thesis for almost two decades. 

The US has no experts in Russia--not in CIA, not in Academe, not in Pentagon, not is State Department. It is the result of an overall decline always second rate US intellectual class and confirmation bias. In case of, say, late Brzezinski--also a result of personal vendetta by a mediocrity reaching a serious government post. 

The US empire was sliding towards the abyss for a while, and indicators of this collapse warrant to be revisited in light of a new information becoming available with each passing day. Meanwhile, the US military will find, yet again, the excuse that it is strictly 404 thing, while, of course, this is the "American Way of War"--killing civilians. 

Children, again. Pure terrorism--this is what they do, kill civilians, children. This is Gelendzhik. My today's video is titled Banality of Evil. Washington and Brussels will never whitewash themselves. Russians view the West as evil. Rightly so. A few exceptions of people of morality, honor and integrity merely confirm this fact.