For four years, valid criticism has been aimed at Vladimir Putin for, among many other things, his use of foreign military and paramilitary troops in pursuit of his war against Ukraine — troops from North Korea, India, Nepal, Cuba, and various African countries.

Now — in exactly the same style — Donald Trump is considering recruiting Kurdish groups located in Iraq who are opposed to the Iranian regime, arming them to deploy as “boots on the ground” in his illegal war against Iran, saying on March 5th:

“I think it’s wonderful that they want to do that. I’d be all for it.” [Kian Sharifi, RFE/RL, March 8, 2026.]

Tehran then intensified attacks on Iranian Kurdish camps located across the border in Iraq’s Kurdistan region, following which Trump quickly reversed position, telling reporters that he does “not want the Kurds to go into Iran [because the war is] complicated enough as it is.” [Id.]

But it may not matter what Trump wants. According to Wladimir van Wilgenburg, a Dutch author, journalist and analyst specializing in Kurdish affairs, the Iranian Kurdish groups are cautious about becoming involved in the U.S.-Israel war on Iran because of their past experience in Syria. [Id.]

After aiding the U.S. in the fight against ISIS, the Kurds were abandoned in 2019 by the first Trump administration — much as the Mujahideen had been left to their own devices in Afghanistan in 1989 after working with the U.S. to topple the Soviet occupiers. Now, van Wilgenburg believes, if an approach were to be made by the U.S., the Kurds would insist on guarantees of political recognition in exchange for their assistance — guarantees that Trump would likely not be able to deliver. [Id.]

So the whole issue may be moot. But the point is, here we have Trump once again displaying thought processes exactly mirroring those of his friend Vladimir Putin.

Speaking of whom . . .

It was no surprise to anyone when Putin gloated over the opportunity, dropped into his lap by Trump’s disastrous attack on Iran, to increase Russia’s oil sales in the wake of the near-total shutdown of exports from the Middle East.

And Putin must be doing a dance of joy as Trump announces that he is giving serious consideration to lifting some sanctions on Russia to allow increased exports, in order to ease the worldwide surge in fuel prices and the imminent oil shortage that he himself created when he decided to invade Iran.

Of course Putin is thrilled! Why wouldn’t he be? And how does he thank Trump?

Well . . . Putin being Putin . . . he turns around and provides Iran with intelligence on the locations and movements of U.S. troops, ships and aircraft, much of it in the form of imagery from Moscow’s overhead satellites.

Meanwhile, with the money to be gleaned from the new demand for Russian oil, Putin continues his own assault on Ukraine . . . all while claiming that what he really wants is peace.

You just can’t make this shit up!

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
3/10/26