The suggestion that US president-elect Donald Trump’s policy towards Russian President Vladimir Putin may be a grand strategy to drive a wedge between Russia and China gives too much credit to Trump and is probably, as Saif Islam says, speculative to say the least. One may ask how smart Putin was (as Trump said) to delay his response to the recent diplomatic expulsions while awaiting Trump’s attitude. Very smart, but not in the way Trump thinks, because Putin is bringing the nature of the new US-Russia relationship to a head. Trump is in a pickle because he has to accept that Russia was responsible for the hacking of Democratic Party documents and get on-side with sanctions against Russia as US commander-in-chief, or be the last man standing and favour Russia over his own Republicans and the entire US civilian and military intelligence community. Sydney KayeCape Town
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