Russians 'Divesting Themselves of US Debt' Amid US Sanctions - UK Ex-Diplomat

Sputnik has discussed this with William Mallinson, a former British diplomat and Professor of Political Ideas and Institutions at Guglielmo Marconi University.

Sputnik: What's your take on the recent poll results then and should it be surprising that more Americans are now in favor of improved relations with Russia?

William Mallinson: First point to make is that, I doubt those 60% of Americans are major shareholders in the military-industrial-congressional complex underlined by Eisenhower in 1961 and which people have been trying to avoid ever since. The facts are the facts. Now I think that the whole military-industrial-NATO complex depends on selling, and selling and selling as it is trying to do now with Italy again. Lockheed and the Italians are trying to say no. It's a very thin and blurred dividing line between politics and business.

READ MORE: US State Dept Expects New Anti-Russia Sanctions to Come Into Effect on August 27

Now with everything that's happening now NATO is under threat, obviously, because many people are questioning its very raison d'être so many years after the alleged end of the Cold War. Let's also remember that whatever presidents say in America, after the murder of Kennedy they don't actually have much power anymore. It is the complex and the major shareholders and the business machine that tends to control what presidents say.

And we've seen Trump say very nice things about Russia and then he's had to eat his words. It's almost childish; he looks, on the one hand, independent, on the other hand, like a puppet. The Russians, obviously, are reacting to this.

They are divesting themselves of American debt, they have to, to protect their economy, increasing production of gold and building up their gold reserves in the full knowledge that at the moment in the United States political ideology is more business ideology, more so than in most countries.

READ MORE: More Americans Favor Improved Relations With Russia Over Sanctions

Now another aspect of this is, of course, the divisions that these sanctions are creating within the European Union. Let's remember that Italy, for example, and Austria are very much against sanctions on Russia. This, of course, connects to Iran, now this all goes to the fight for Europe. The Americans are trying to force European businesses not to do business with Russia or, by the way, Iran.

European companies individually are weak. So it's very, very tense at the moment because the American business says we must keep selling, and selling, and selling, and creating fear. Hence all this ridiculous speculation about the Russians having interfered in the American elections. This is farcical, that it all boils down to business and politics merging into one in America. So what they're trying to do I think is divert attention from the US' own internal problems, like its massive debt.

Sputnik: Obviously, President Trump came to power on a tide of protectionism, do you think there's going to be any kind of pressure that can be put to bear from the power of the people or the American administration and this industrial complex that seems to be so strong and strife in the last four years is it just going to continue then?

William Mallinson: It is going to try to continue. One thing that might make that more difficult is when and if Jeremy Corbyn wins elections in Britain in a year or whatever, if that happens that could have an enormous impact on the British relationship, which is very close in economic and business terms and arms companies, with the United States. And that might put more pressure on the US to back off a bit and that might be welcomed very much by Russia.

READ MORE: UK Foreign Secretary to Urge EU to Expand Sanctions Against Russia

So not to avoid your question, but I think with the Corbyn effect and with more power from the people, as you quite rightly say, which is what democracy should be, democracy is about people not only about interest groups, then yes, I think slowly but not dramatically, over the next few years we might see a slow return to common sense.

Sputnik: What's your take on these global geopolitical events taking place and creating almost like three globalizations?

William Mallinson: First, let me say that I think geopolitics itself is a very crude form of analysis. It's a kind of way to justify theft actually because it's grabbing other peoples resources if you look at the actual activity of geopolitics. Geopolitics began with the fear of the heartland, which is Russia, and it's all that it's ever been about.

The views expressed in this article are solely those of William Mallinson and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Sputnik.