In remarks two weeks ago at the annual Valdai Discussion Club, Russian President Vladimir Putin once more lit into the West, accusing U.S. leaders of arrogance and blindness in the face of Russian national interests. It was a repeat of what’s become the central theme of Mr. Putin’s regime: the Motherland is not at war against Ukraine alone. Ukraine is merely the battlefield in a larger war against Western power and ideas. The fate of Russia now hangs in the balance.
Is this bluster? The exaggerations of an aging dictator who knows he can’t win the war he started in February 2022?
“Forever war” is something powerful countries are supposed to avoid. In its post-9/11 military endeavors, the U.S. learned the perils of invading countries where the presence of its soldiers would be viewed with hostility. In modern terms, “forever war” denotes unachievable aims and politically treacherous choices.
In this episode of History As It Happens, historian Mark Galeotti, a scholar of Russian military and intelligence history, contends that Mr. Putin is pitching “forever war” as salvation for Russian civilization, but his people aren’t buying it.
“Clearly, Putin would like to see some sort of a victory in Ukraine. And I also think he’s realistic enough to know that it’s not happening any day soon. But what he’s also doing is using this as a basis for a reorganization of the whole Russian political and economic system,” said Mr. Galeotti, who runs the Mayak Intelligence consultancy in London.
By examining the origins of Mr. Putin’s worldview since the collapse of the USSR, Western leaders and intellectuals might understand why so many underestimated Russia’s leader while overstating Russia’s national decline.
SEE ALSO: History As It Happens: Is Putin a fascist?
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