TL;DR
- Alaska was a ritual of power, not substance: the Alaska summit delivered... nothing! Only a perfectly staged void.
- Psychological duel: their restraint was the true performance.
- Weak signals to connect (to see the big picture)
- Grey Zone dynamics
- What comes next: Zelensky in Washington this Monday.
Everyone is dissecting the Trump-Putin summit in Alaska...
Commentators obsess over the handshake, the tone of their statements, the body language; the red carpet, the planes, the food menu (!!!)... Analysts debate who "won". Was Putin dominant? Is Trump a fanboy?
This summit did not deliver any "substance". No agreement, strong declaration, no sanctions, not a very special staging either (I mean, have you seen the chairs they were sitting on?!).
Just a ritual, perfectly executed by two extremely powerful men, cold, structured, sticking to their role.
The result: everyone is left frustrated. No meat, only bones.
So they throw themselves at the scraps: fabricating interpretations, filling the gaps with speculation, fear, and theories.
And that's the whole point: this "void" is the message.
In the Grey Zone, this deliberate absence of substance, silence is a weapon in itself.
That is where power operates.
A psychological duel, not really a negotiation.
Trump plays for immediacy. He wants recognition, legacy, a Nobel. His vulnerability is his need for recognition.
Putin... ahhhh Putin! Huge contrast.