The Kremlin has expelled two-military attaches from the United States Embassy in Moscow. Many in the media are wondering why in their reports of the event. The reason is simple - reciprocity.
The entire diplomatic world - and especially between countries with a sense of negativity toward one another - is based upon a simple concept of reciprocal treatment. If we search the diplomats at entry checkpoints, they do the same to ours. Last year, the US expelled two-Russian military attaches and the Russians are reciprocating.
Some will soon say the US attaches were “caught spying” and this led to their PNG status. Let me assure you there is not a military attache’ in any embassy in the world who is not engaged in some sort of espionage. That is what they are there for and everyone knows it. There is a wink-wink, nudge-nudge understanding that as long as the espionage is not so overt a common citizen would recognize it, it is usually not acted upon. So espionage will not be the true reason on either side of this issue. that takes us back to reciprocity.
Last Year, the US was trying to get President Putin’s attention and expelling diplomats is a serious enough event to do that that sends a message about some issue between the White House and the Kremlin. Only the highly placed State Department and Administration officials know what the true issue is., but this year, the Kremlin gave us the answer to whatever last year’s question was. The answer, by way of these expulsions, is “up yours”.
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