I first learned of Fiona Hill when she testified at the impeachment hearings, and since she sounded very intelligent I went and got her book (which she wrote wi

I first learned of Fiona Hill when she testified at the impeachment hearings, and since she sounded very intelligent I went and got her book (which she wrote with Clifford Gabby) "Mr Putin" which, I've learned, is widely considered the best psychological portrait of Putin that exists. The authors are surprisingly respectful of Putin's methods, especially in the early days. And in the debate over "Is Putin or rational or not" they seem to clearly answer "Yes, he is rational." Especially regarding Crimea, they point out that Putin clearly explained that if the West interfered in the Ukraine, then Russia would have to consider that intervention an offensive action, and make a response, so when the West sided with "pro Western" forces in the Ukraine in 2013/2014, Putin felt that he had clearly warned the West that he was going to respond. It is useful and interesting to understand some of his motivation. Having said all that, there is a lot that is disappointing about his inability to pull modern Russia past any of the major failings of the USSR, in particular the lack of transparency. More than ever, Russia relies on oil exports, despite his stated intention to re-industrialize Russia, Putin has not managed to rebuild the economy to the Great Power status that the country held during the middle of the 20th Century. Instead of real progress, what we see is the irritation of a power that knows it has fallen down.