Betrayal is one of the Kremlin's traditional modus operandi at home and especially in relations with the world.
In the past, the Kremlin has betrayed just about everyone it dealt with, starting with the violation of the Budapest memorandum with Ukraine from 1994, with which it gave guarantees to Ukrainian independence and territorial integrity.
Ironically, while interacting with its own people, including residents of the Russian political Olympus, the Kremlin is similarly despotic and treacherous.
The Russian top leadership throughout history has always demonstrated features of an isolated and malicious entity that perceives everyone around and even within as an enemy or a challenger.
In Armenia, Serbia, Israel, or Syria, the Kremlin consistently pursued its own agenda, which was ultimately hostile towards these countries.
In Syria, the Kremlin needed a military base and wanted to use the country as a symbol of Russian regional dominance over America.
Having Assad under its umbrella at the time enabled the Kremlin to challenge America in the region and then replace Western military and other relevant agencies in several African countries.
Assad will continue to be a tool in Moscow's hands
In simulating good relations with Israel, the Kremlin was seeking condescension from Benjamin Netanyahu, which at one point helped Russia to cultivate American conservatives.
The Kremlin faked friendship with Serbia, then voted at the UN against Serbia, then simulated friendship with Serbia again, and not too long ago used the Kosovo precedent to justify its annexation of Crimea.
When Assad no longer served Moscow's interests, the Kremlin threw him under the bus
When Assad no longer served Moscow's interests, the Kremlin threw him under the bus. In the same treacherous manner, the Kremlin abandoned Israel when it determined that arming Hamas and Hezbollah was strategically crucial.
Bashar al-Assad has yet to realise that the Kremlin cannot be trusted, now that he is in its hands and will be further used in Russia's Machiavellian global games.
At least a portion of the embezzled cash and gold that Assad likely brought to Russia will now contribute to Putin's war fund, even though Assad is in transit and will not stay for long due to the harsh Russian climate.
Betrayal everywhere around the government
Because Putin applies the same despotism and betrayal in domestic affairs, the Russian people themselves know deep down that they cannot trust the Kremlin.
It views those fortunate enough to be close to the Russian throne as potential challengers and traitors who require constant pressure and scrutiny.
Because of the Kremlin's unpredictable habit of using Russia and its people for its own subjective purposes, as it did when it decided to invade Ukraine, no one trusts anyone in Russia, and no one knows what will happen tomorrow, which could explain the widespread corruption in Russia.
The Kremlin is using Russian people and other countries to achieve its own goals:
1) To hold on to the power over Russia at all costs.
2) To undermine other countries and ideally subjugate them, as geopolitical victories serve as the primary factors helping the Kremlin to unify Russian society domestically.
3) To expand its global influence and physical presence abroad, again because it distracts the Russian population from the Kremlin’s domestic failures.
The betrayed will continue to come to Moscow
The Kremlin is at war with other countries, its own people, and domestic challengers.
We will continue to see Russia as completely immoral, unpredictable, and dangerous—not only to its neighbours but also to the world in general.
Russia is using numerous individuals, world leaders, and countries around the world to achieve its objectives. However, Russia will betray them
Assad is just one recent example. Russia is currently using numerous individuals, world leaders, and countries around the world to achieve its objectives. However, Russia will betray them when the timing aligns with its current interests.
The Russian opposition was mistaken to expect the Russians to demonstrate democratic qualities, as they could not, having never experienced a democratic atmosphere.
Most importantly, the Russian opposition was wrong in associating Russian current evilness and despotism, particularly with Vladimir Putin, given that Russia was despotic and evil under nearly all Russian previous presidents, general secretaries, or tsars.
Every one of them gave refuge to those they betrayed worldwide. Bashar al-Assad is the latest in that long line, but not the last.
