Thread by @arapaho415

<Thread>
1/ What's happening in Helsinki in July is not a "summit," but rather an annual performance evaluation of DJT by Putin.

Timeline of recent and July events connecting:
China🇨🇳
NATO
North Korea🇰🇵
Russia🇷🇺
South Korea🇰🇷
US🇺🇸
(links provided downthread- con't)...

2/ In this recent timeline of events, you'll notice the trademark DJT "waffle" or "do-over" or denial that what took place a day or two ago didn't actually happen.
There's a reason for this:
DJT "has an acute understanding of one thing: test marketing."

https://twitter.com/KenLayne/status/1012197438470230016

3/ DJT "created himself in the gossip pages of the New York tabloids, where celebrity is manufactured by planting outrageous stories that you can later confirm or deny depending on how they go down. (con't)

4/ ...And he recreated himself in reality TV where the storylines can be adjusted according to the ratings. Put something out there, pull it back, adjust, go again."

"Fascism doesn’t arise suddenly in an existing democracy. (con't)

5/ ...It is not easy to get people to give up their ideas of freedom and civility. You have to do trial runs that, if they are done well, serve two purposes. They get people used to something they may initially recoil from; (con't)

6/ …and they allow you to refine and calibrate. This is what is happening now and we would be fools not to see it."

"Fascism does not need a majority – it typically comes to power with about 40 per cent support and then uses control and intimidation to consolidate that power."

7/ This article published in Oct 2017, includes a quote from Putin in 2015 as reported by @AP:
"Russian President Vladimir Putin told the nation Monday that the collapse of the Soviet empire 'was the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the century.'”
narativ.org/2017/10/02/the…

8/ From a tactical perspective, Putin wants three things from US:
(a) Remove US🇺🇸 troops from eastern Europe
(b) Remove US🇺🇸 troops from eastern Asia
(c) Remove US🇺🇸 sanctions on Russia🇷🇺 (why have sanctions if US says it's OK that Russia invaded and annexed Crimea?)

9/ Test marketing assignment: Remove US🇺🇸 troops from eastern Europe:

https://twitter.com/John_Hudson/status/1013059382278541312

10/ Test marketing assignment: Remove US🇺🇸troops from South Korea:
June 22:
cnn.com/2018/06/22/asi…

11/ The evil menace currently occupying the WH may not get a passing grade on removing troops from east Asia during Putin's🇷🇺 performance evaluation in Helsinki🇫🇮 on July 16: #AnotherDoOver
June 28:

https://twitter.com/AP/status/1012244251533565952

12/ Test marketing assignment: Lift US sanctions against Russia🇷🇺:

Jun 26, Russia🇷🇺 Energy Minister Alexander Novak met with US🇺🇸 Treasury Secretary Mnuchin in DC:

https://twitter.com/Reuters/status/1011821688902836224

13/ Test marketing assignment: Lift sanctions against Russia🇷🇺.

We are edging closer to removing sanctions from Russia by declaring that it's OK that Russia🇷🇺 invaded and annexed Crimea from Ukraine🇺🇦.😬

Pompeo on Jun 27:

https://twitter.com/Drumboy44DWS/status/1012154893057052673

14/ Link to replacing "key nuclear expert" after DJT/KJU so-called Singapore "summit."
June 20:
Andrea "Hall has already been replaced in an acting capacity by a senior military officer with extensive weapons of mass destruction education and experience."

https://twitter.com/DavidNakamura/status/1009495516047167491

15/ Except for #Cult45, eyebrows are raised about the US Congressional delegation to Kremlin on July 4🎇🇺🇸(!).
Here are the members of that delegation👀 (con't):

https://twitter.com/JuliaDavisNews/status/1012140873289748481

16/ Except for John Thune (SD), all Senators visiting the Kremlin🇷🇺 are members of the Senate Appropriations Committee, chaired by Richard Shelby (AL). The lone Rep is Kay Granger (TX12), the Chairwoman of the House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee. h/t @Peaceful_411

17/ Hmm. Just realized that I forgot😳 to include Putin's🇷🇺 meeting w/ South Korean President Moon Jae-in🇰🇷 in my timeline:

June 22:
📷SERGEI KARPUKHIN/AFP/Getty Image
forbes.com/sites/arielcoh…

18/ "Moscow🇷🇺 is... reviving a decades - old energy megaproject that would connect Russian gas🇷🇺 and the Trans-Siberian railroad🇷🇺 to Seoul🇰🇷 via North Korea🇰🇵." (con't)

19/ The possibility of linking Russia🇷🇺, South Korea🇰🇷, DPRK🇰🇵 thru infrastructure was discussed indepth, as well as free-trade agreement (FTA). "Moon expressed his intent to set an FTA process in motion that could boost Korea-Russia trade to USD $30billion by 2030" (con't)

20/ "Moon🇰🇷 seemed to be living up to his 'New Northern Policy,' which envisions greater collaboration with Moscow🇷🇺 over of natural gas, railroads, shipping ports, electric power, agriculture and fisheries."

21/ As a reminder, despite sanctions, Russian🇷🇺 ferry service to North Korea🇰🇵 began on May 9, 2017 from Vladivostok to the North Korean port of Rajin.
From Aug 15, 2017:

https://twitter.com/ZevShalev/status/904140584222203904