Russia: The new enemy!

Hussein Shobokshi CAN the West stop the man who is determined to uphold the dreary habits of czars and Soviet leaders while projecting Russian exceptionalism and power? Putin doesn’t have a lot to worry about when he looks at the forces aligned against him. Obama, as the leader of a war-weary nation, has ruled out all military options, including the provision of weapons to Ukraine. Europe is both too divided and too dependent on Russian energy supplies to provoke any lasting rupture in relations. The only option would seem to be the steady ratcheting up of sanctions. That’s harder than it sounds. Putin has allies in the heart of Europe, notably Italy, which now holds the rotating presidency of the EU and it has lobbied against the sort of sanctions that could do serious damage to Russia’s economy. In 1991, when Soviet Communism collapsed, it seemed as if the Russian people might at last have the chance to become citizens of a normal Western democracy. Vladimir Putin’s disastrous contribution to Russia’s history has been to set his country on a different path. And yet many around the world, through self-interest or self-deception, have been unwilling to see Putin as he really is. The world needs to face the danger Putin poses. If it does not stand up to him today, worse will follow. Instead of embarrassing the Russian president, the prospect of isolation has only seemed to harden his resolve. Nor is there any sign that Moscow’s ruling class, a section of Russian society that constitutes a key pillar of support for the president, has flinched in the face of Western threats and sanctions. Putin’s public approval rating at 86%, is the envy of every Western leader, 20 points higher than when the Ukraine crises began, according to the independent Levada-Center polling agency. The West should face the uncomfortable truth that Putin’s Russia is fundamentally aggressive. Bridge-building and resets will not persuade him to behave as a normal leader. The West should impose tough sanctions now, pursue his corrupt friends and throw him out of every international talk shops that rely on telling the truth.