Playing Trump for a fool is simply part of a larger picture. To understand the chess player, one must understand what he sees, why he concludes as he does, and what he considers greatest threats.
PBS Frontline on Wednesday (25 Oct 2017) aired one of their best documentaries: "Putin's Revenge, Part 1". So much can be explained even by events in Dresden as the Berlin Wall came tumbling down. And what Clinton (and later Yelsin) saw.
Harry Truman's watch saw the Cold War begin. We did so much to avert a second cold war. And then George Jr did so much damage. Not just with his bogus "Axis of Evil" speech. He even looked into Putin's eyes. And then Frontline shows even Condi Rice looking exasperated.
So much of what Putin is doing is obvious. Providing rocket motors to North Korea is a tiny part of his game. We are awaiting his next move - that can be anywhere on the board. We clealy have no strategy. We know Putin likes Republican presidents. They were so transparent and so easily contrived. Hilary, Kerry, Obama, and Clinton were tough on Putin.
Next week's Frontline will discuss Putin's latest chess moves. These Frontline episodes are a must watch event since another Cold War is all but inevitable. Especially since Trump is alienating so many potential and future allies.
Also avaiable at:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/putins-revenge/