Misreading Putin?

[watu05]

Interesting view that Putin that while Putin may have miscaculaged Ukrainian resistance, he will likely achieve his real goal which is control of Ukraine’s energy reserves which are second only to Norway’s in Europe. Those reserves plus Russia’s own reserves are unique, powerful assets in dealing with China and NATO counties.

Opinion | What if Putin Didn’t Miscalculate?

It’s always wiser to treat an adversary as a canny fox, not a crazy fool.

www.nytimes.com

 

[URedskin54]

Unpersuasive. Yes people have minimum acceptable goals and reach goals, but when your effort to achieve your reach goal decimates and humiliates your military, gets 10s of thousands of your people killed, diminishes your standing in the world, cripples your economy, and puts your minimum acceptable goal in jeopardy......you effed up, or "miscalculated" if you will.

 

[watu05]

Unpersuasive. Yes people have minimum acceptable goals and reach goals, but when your effort to achieve your reach goal decimates and humiliates your military, gets 10s of thousands of your people killed, diminishes your standing in the world, cripples your economy, and puts your minimum acceptable goal in jeopardy......you effed up, or "miscalculated" if you will.

The point is Putin can still have a chance to salvage something material which is particulary valuable to China and W Europe. That’s different than saying it was worth it.

 

[URedskin54]

The premise is that he didn’t miscalculate, not that he might still end up accomplishing a couple things.

 

[noble cane]

Difficult to say that Putin has miscalculated anything yet. The Russians have never been shy about sacrificing pawns or leaving charred ground in their wake. But, they really havent launced a successful offensive war of conquest since the time of the Czars either.