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Russian
President Vladimir Putin brings to mind a drunken college fraternity member, always
ready for the next road trip to get revenge.
It seemed
like what the world should expect from a shirtless tiger.
It was unclear
as the weekend approached whether Putin would seek an economic war with the
West, which he would inevitably lose, or send tanks into the Ukraine.
No one
expected NATO to intervene if Russian forces invade, most likely disguised as a
peacekeeping force, but even poorly armed Gazans had made Israel’s invasion a
living hell.
After the
Kremlin ignored warning after warning, provoking serious sanctions from the US
and NATO, Putin appeared to finally stop believing the propaganda thousands of
his paid minions had been posting on Web sites.
He reacted
by imposing a vague ban on the import of food, vegetables and fruit from the
United States and European countries.
Putin’s
government said it would identify the goods covered by the ban on Thursday or
Friday.
Jokes were
circulating in Russia about which foot the government wanted to shoot itself
in.
A Russian
economist who had fled Moscow said no details were released immediately because
as in so many earlier cases Putin had no firm plan.
“They are
searching for some way to respond, and so far have not found a way,” said
economist Sergei M. Guriev.
What would
happen on the border, where Putin had massed thousands of troops, also was up
in the air. The Ukrainian military was close to seizing control of the last major
eastern city held by Moscow’s proxies.
Many
analysts said Putin was living on the edge, and if the conflict escalates
Russia would be harmed much faster than Europe.
“Russia’s economy
would collapse faster and quicker” than Europe’s, Russian market analyst Chris
Weafer told the New Republic.
In fact, the magazine
warned that just as the fall of the Berlin Wall caught many by surprise, Putin
might fall and his opponents need to be prepared for the chaos that could
produce.
The ex-KGB agent has
disdained ideology so it is not clear what would take his place, lacking even
the 70 years of state communism that held the Soviet Empire together.
Time after time the
Soviets lost battles with enemies, such as Germany, who had far fewer weapons
and troops. Only the intervention of its capitalist enemies kept it in power
and the fear of a nuclear war that would destroy the planet.
Economically the
masses suffered as the Soviet belief that capitalism would eventually collapse
proved illusory.
As was said by the
legendary cartoonist Walt Kelly, Russians needn’t fear, “the shortages will be
divided among the peasants.”
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