Especially since finding participants here whose psychology and job experience parallel Putin's quite closely will not be easy. One the one hand: Putin bluffs

Especially since finding participants here whose psychology and job experience parallel Putin's quite closely will not be easy. One the one hand: Putin bluffs about whether he's bluffing about bluffing. His word is chaff. If he says he won't be invading, it's a pretty good indication he will. Etc. On the other hand: When one person is vital to the course of events and can't be removed, prediction generally becomes a fool's game, either way; because human brains are, needless to say, highly complex. Concentrating power means anything can happen (but not that anything will, of course.) Pick your poison. With Putin being the other player, no course of action, including pacifism, is anything but risky. Gird your loins (as none of the kids say.)