Thread by @polidemitolog

By blaming Poland for the start of WWII, Putin is not only signaling to the German far right that he will support this narrative in the future, but he also demonstrates that he doesn't really care about the most important idol of the Russo-Soviet pantheon - WWII heritage.

Don't think for a second that this isn't tipping the hat to Germany's and Austrian's far right. AfD is currently taking a beating in the polls (its secret meeting discussing the "final solution" to the immigrant problem was discovered), but the Austrian FPÖ is doing quite nicely.

The actual quote: "The Poles nevertheless forced him - they got carried away and forced Hitler - to start The Second World War against them first."

newsweek.com/fact-check-put…

Putin's whole two hour speech was specifically tailored for the US and the European far right. All the right messaging was there - Eastern Europe is our backyard, why would US citizens pay to get involved in a family quarrel across the ocean, I won't attack anyone else, I swear.

It's just that the packaging was all wrong. The tirade was too long, the presented distorted or selectively picked data couldn't have resonated with the audience, which lacks a necessary framework of reference. Putin would've been better off by speaking in short punchlines.

By opting to bore the average far right voter to death, Putin essentially crippled his message. This must've been Putin himself pushing such a format on his speechwriters and policy consultants, since no professional would choose to communicate to Americans in such a manner.

What compels me to even write this short analysis is the sheer evil behind Putin's, albeit unsuccessful, messaging and the fact that many are now calling him insane or alike.

Putin is not a lunatic, he is a calculated vile individual, who doesn't know how to approach the modern short attention span Western audience, but who, at the same time, believes himself to be a master of deception and manipulation.

Putin's arrogance outweighs his actual talent to get his message across and to actually become the puppet master he thinks himself to be, but he's perfectly rational.