Even as so many in the West grudgingly or even admirably credited Putin with strategic genius, playing a bad hand well while simultaneously playing 3D chess, I was not impressed. Putin's invasion of Ukraine is exposing the nonsense that was Putin's brilliance.
The West once saw Russia as a country on the path to democracy. Now it regards it as an international pariah and a failed state. Russia’s former Soviet neighbors—members of the Commonwealth of Independent States—are frightened and have politely distanced themselves from Moscow; some of them are successfully exploiting the labor force that has fled Putin. (In 2022, 2.9 million Russians went to Kazakhstan alone, and nearly 150,000 obtained identification papers needed to work there.) China and India, while remaining on friendly terms with Russia at the rhetorical and economic level, have watched in disbelief as Putin descends into a vortex of irrational self-destruction, taking his nation’s economy, workforce, dignity, and soft power with him.
Exactly. Putin is no strategic genius punching "above his weight":
My view is that Putin got the West's attention with his actions and rhetoric, but is otherwise effing up royally. That punching by Putin is getting those with more weight to assume a fighting stance.
Good grief, if Putin had just kept his mouth shut and his army at home, NATO would have continued to disarm. In a few years of the trend continuing, the fierce warriors of Montenegro could have conquered Germany.
Remember, in addition to the general decline in Western defense spending, America's military became "unbalanced" with a long focus on fighting insurgents and terrorists, leaving it unprepared for conventional warfare.
In addition, readiness outside of those forces sent to fight in the Obama administration declined with the 2009 planning assumption that America faced no threat of war with a peer or near-peer in thenext ten yearsmedium term[.] ...
And to add to the evidence, contemplate that Putin has managed to turn Democrats into virulent Russia-haters. We know why, of course. But still, the change is amazing. I bet Putin didn't expect Russia's traditionally useful idiots to stop being useful.
Anyway, stop acting as if Putin is brilliant or a model to follow.
Putin keeps winning NATO recruiter of the year awards.
The failure of Russia's army to quickly crush Ukraine as promised will harm Putin in the high-stakes game of Russian politics even if he manages to defeat Ukraine's army and "only" have to shift to a counter-insurgency campaign.
And to put the tasty stupid icing on the tasty stupid cake, Putin is alienating the West even as Putin wrecks his military with a still rising China looming over Russia's Far East--which was taken from China in the 19th century.
Bravo.
Seriously, Russia under Putin is Russia's worst enemy.
I wonder when the naturally paranoid Russian society will turn their suspicious gaze on Putin himself.
It’s been almost a full year since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and according to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley, Russia has lost this conflict both “strategically” and “operationally.”
I mean, if Russia has already lost, why does the West need to keep trying to defeat it?
I'm old fashioned. I don't think a war is over until the fat lady sings. And even then you can blow it by effing up the post-war.
NOTE: Winter War of 2022 coverage continues here.
