May 13 (UPI) -- More than half a century ago, actors Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau starred in the comedy hit, The Odd Couple, about two divorced roommates reacting to bachelor life.
Today, Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, in the irony of all ironies, are the oddest couple. They are drawn together by classic strategic blunders and failures: Putin in Ukraine and Trump in Iran. And both need the other to extricate themselves from these self-imposed disasters.
The irony grows even greater. In Ukraine, the United States is actively advising and arming Kyiv in killing Russians by the many tens of thousands. In Iran, Russia is returning the favor by providing Tehran with targeting and other aid that is attacking Americans. Fortunately, U.S. casualties are a small, small fraction of Russian ones.
One reason why Putin and Trump have become embroiled in these quagmires -- Putin for four years and Trump going on four months -- is the failure to have sufficient knowledge and understanding of the enemies each is facing.
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