The bad news is that, as shown by Russia’s invasions of Georgia in 2008 and Ukraine in 2014, President Putin is the most revisionist leader in Moscow since his Soviet predecessors launched the invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. The good news is that, in Russia’s conflict with the West, the United States and Europe hold most of the cards. If they play them well by maintaining sanctions and allied unity, Russian revisionism can be contained, political pressure on Putin at home will grow, and Russian power ultimately will diminish.
The collapse in global oil and gas prices is putting significant pressure …read more