(RightWing.org) – In late 2001, the United States began the war on terror in Afghanistan. For nearly two decades, the Taliban said they didn’t need to defeat the world’s most powerful military, just wait the US out of the region. They calculated that the US didn’t have the resolve to defeat them fully and would grow weary of the war. In the end, were they right, at least from their perspective?
In late February, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the military to invade Ukraine. Over the last two months, things haven’t gone as planned. The Russian military has experienced several setbacks that include much higher than anticipated casualties and the failure to overtake Kyiv and parts of the coastline along the Black Sea. Additionally, economic sanctions are hurting the country. Don’t tell that to Putin; he believes he’s winning the war.
What Does Putin’s Attitude Reveal?
According to the New York Times, Putin believes he’s winning the war in Ukraine. He also thinks the Western alliance against him will crack as time goes by and that the West doesn’t have the resolve to see the sanctions through. On Monday, April 18, Putin said Western sanctions against Russia failed and that the Russian economy was unharmed.
Putin also believes that China, India, and other countries in Asia will help Russia avoid complete international economic isolation. The countries continue to trade with Russia despite Western concerns.
In addition to believing the West isn’t harming Russia, Putin is enacting a military intimidation tactic against the West. On Wednesday, Russia fired a new nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) called the Satan 2. Putin warned that the test-firing was food for thought for those threatening his country.
Will Putin Back Down or Escalate?
Senior US intelligence analysts told the Times they don’t expect Putin will back down. If anything, he may become more unstable as he becomes desperate. On Wednesday, Kremlin insiders spoke with Bloomberg News. They told the media outlet that Putin wasn’t listening to their warnings about the nation being severely harmed and wouldn’t hear that the conflict was taking a grave toll on Russia.
Instead, the Kremlin insiders said that Putin believes he’s a hero on a historic mission and, therefore, won’t change direction. They shared concerns of US intelligence officials that Putin could order targeted nuclear strikes if faced with failure.
As the war goes on and Putin feels emboldened from within the Kremlin, he is more likely than not to escalate matters.
Stay tuned. There is a lot at stake in this evolving war.
Copyright 2022, RightWing.org
