Quote Originally Posted by Firn View Post
VTB Bank Chief Slams Law Penalizing Visa and MasterCard, for good reasons. There are quite a few indications that Putins military adventures were initiated and are still controlled within a narrow circle of mostly ex-KGB men. Economic considerations had very little impact on the decision making, which clearly surprised many in the Western world which believed in the 'change by trade' or at least stabilization by economic integration.
Considering the billions spent on 'intelligence gathering' by the US and western countries the failure to foresee an aggressive response from Russia supports the need to reform and restructure intelligence agencies. Does anyone think shutting down the CIA would have a negative impact?