# Realpolik and Russia - the return of Smiley's People

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/realpolik-and-russia-the-return-of-smileys-people/770626>\
**Category:** Politics & Elections\
**Created:** [November 4, 2016, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/realpolik-and-russia-the-return-of-smileys-people/770626 "2016-11-04T18:05:57Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![squidfood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a87d85/32.png) [@squidfood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squidfood)\
**Post date:** [November 4, 2016, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/realpolik-and-russia-the-return-of-smileys-people/770626/1 "2016-11-04T18:05:57Z")

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Horror for what it portends in a Trump win aside, the [Full Newsweek article](http://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-vladimir-putin-russia-hillary-clinton-united-states-europe-516895) is fascinating, complete with Russia playing Turkey and the U.S. against each other to close a critical airbase, and archetypal British spies and government calling "Trump’s comments “quite disturbing” (translation to American: “reckless and utterly idiotic”).

As an old le Carre/realpolitik fan - absolutely gripping read, e.g.

> [@](#):
>
> The Incirlik air base in Turkey has been used as a primary staging area for American bombers engaged in attacks on the Islamic State group in both Syria and Iraq; Russia supports President Bashar al-Assad […] Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan despises Trump and his associates because of the Republican nominee’s anti-Muslim rhetoric (in March, one of Trump’s Turkish business partners was indicted in what some Erdogan critics described as retribution). Erdogan has told associates he will not cooperate militarily with a Trump administration […] If Erdogan is angry at the next American president, the ability of the United States to engage in military action in Syria would be severely limited.

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**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\
**Post date:** [November 4, 2016, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/realpolik-and-russia-the-return-of-smileys-people/770626/2 "2016-11-04T18:24:03Z")

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Next time, follow Moscow Center rules when posting. Leave a yellow chalk mark on the third park bench from the entrance and leave your post at the dead drop. No radio!

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**Author:** ![Totenfeier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4bbf92/32.png) [@Totenfeier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Totenfeier)\
**Post date:** [November 4, 2016, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/realpolik-and-russia-the-return-of-smileys-people/770626/3 "2016-11-04T20:24:26Z")

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And here I’ve been thinking all this time that we had all best learn to speak Mandarin…