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Paul Craig Roberts
Institute for Political Economy
Putin’s Attempt to Be Reasonable Has Failed
Putin’s Attempt to Be Reasonable Has Failed
Paul Craig Roberts
I am more confident that Putin’s reasonableness, his politeness, his nonresponse to provocations have greatly widened the conflict with Ukraine, which in reality is a conflict with the West, and are leading directly to a much wider and more serious conflict. My confidence in my position has increased because I have just read an article by Alexander Dugin who in my opinion is Russia’s best thinker. Indeed, he should be the President of Russia or at least the Foreign Minister.
Putin chose nonaggressive response to Western provocations in order not to confirm the propaganda that he was out to rebuild the Soviet Empire and in order to build trust so that the matter of Russia’s insecurity with NATO on Russia’s border could be addressed. Unfortunately, as I and Alexander Dugin realize, Putin’s approach to communication does not work with Trump and the West. Putin’s soft approach to communication is read by Trump and the West as weakness. When Putin and Lavrov say, “We are open to dialogue,” the West thinks Russia lacks the strength to continue the war. Consequently Washington and Europe treat Russia as a subordinate rather than as a great military power. As Dugin says, Trump and Europe perceive Putin’s politeness as weakness, Putin’s reasonableness as cowardice, Putin’s willingness to negotiate as capitulation. Dugin, like myself, is convinced that Washington and Europe must be disabused of this erroneous perception that Putin’s reasonableness is weakness instead of an attempt to build confidence so the real issue–the threat to Russia’s security–can be addressed.
Putin’s well-meaning attempt has failed. As Dugin says, “Trump, convinced that it’s enough to press, threaten, or raise his voice for the conflict in Ukraine to end,” demands a cease fire that he can wave as another “peace victory.” Trump is in a hurry, which makes it impossible to find common ground in real negotiations in place of Trump’s dictate to Russia of the terms of settlement.
Dugin concludes that it is past time to disabuse the West and the White House of their notion of Russian weakness with a slap in the face, a demonstration of force that will bring Washington, Europe and the UK to the realization that their policy toward Russia is bringing them annihilation.
Putin’s mistake was believing that there is good will in Washington and Europe that his patience could arouse and result in a mutual security agreement before the unrelenting pressures on Russia resulted in another of the West’s unnecessary wars, perhaps this time the final one.
Putin’s pacific approach has resulted in the West disregarding Putin’s warnings with skepticism and disbelief. Dugin concludes, “Rational arguments are exhausted. The West must be made to fear.” The West, Dugin says, believes in force, so Russia must show them the dangers of Russia’s strength.
My view for years has been that the longer Putin waits before he puts down the Russian foot, the more powerful the Russian response must be. If Putin waits much longer, he will have to launch his nuclear super weapons.
The problem that Putin faces was brought to him by the West. It is his response that is in question. It is apparent to me, to Alexander Dugin, to Gilbert Doctorow that Putin has stuck with an incorrect response for too long, and Putin’s incorrect response is leading to nuclear war that will destroy the Western World and possibly the planet Earth.
Here is Dugin’s article. Experience an intelligence that can be found nowhere in the Western media or foreign policy circles. I am also encouraged that Dugin agrees with me that there should be a Russian-Chinese mutual security agreement–I would include Iran–as such an agreement would disabuse Washington that its wars can be sequenced. https://www.multipolarpress.com/p/how-russia-plans-to-shock-the-west?utm_source=substack&utm_campaign=post_embed&utm_medium=email