> I worry that he'll use increasingly vicious attacks on population centers, bombings, as an offset to cover up the ineptitude. He can't afford the loss of face

> I worry that he'll use increasingly vicious attacks on population centers, bombings, as an offset to cover up the ineptitude. He can't afford the loss of face, the show of weakness, that the present circumstances represent. Yeah, I fear this is precisely the danger when dealing with narcissists like Putin. Sadly the idea of deploying effective political strategies to neutralize these dangers appears to be anathema in the west as we begin to mirror Putin with nonsensical, hypocritical and sanctimonious high-horsing. Politicians who wanted to keep BLM politics out of sport are now proposing full-scale ping-pong boycotts. Anti-BDS people are now refusing to drink vodka. Israelis in occupied Palestine are protesting against military occupations. British politicians who are in an alliance with the DUP are now against military interventions to "defend" separatists. Hawks have become doves and spread their beautiful wings to take flight. It's like part of the world has turned it's principles upside down overnight as soon as they see a chance to kick Russia in the shins. From the Russian perspective, this must look comical, and I'm sure it all plays handily in to their propaganda: "They are liars and hypocrites and everything they say is stupid, cynical and part of a power-play to disadvantage the legitimate aspirations of Russian people". Retch.