On April 15, 2014
Putin’s aggression in Ukraine and the West’s weak response
Vladimir Putin doubtless indulges delusions of imperial grandeur, but the Shirtless Czar is nothing but a KGB thug. And his autocratic regime certainly knows how to act the part. Putin’s interference in neighboring Ukraine crossed the line into naked aggression and lawlessness with his recent seizure of Crimea. How then ought the West to respond to Great Power aggression? Today, it is Russia; in the near future, it is just as apt to be an expansionistic China. Alas, however, the West has thus far confined itself to stern words and vigorous finger wagging – empty gestures which can only embolden Putin to stay his aggressive course. A host of meaningful measures sit idly on the table, awaiting only our resolve to put them into place. Author and international affairs analyst John Arkelian sets out a measured response by the West at: https://artsforum.ca/ideas/the-wide-world
Copyright © 2014 by John Arkelian.