Politico quotes Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security Senior Fellow Jorge Benitez on President Putin’s threatening military strategy, and the resolute response from Western forces:
Russian President Vladimir Putin “relies on threats and coercion because he believes they work,” added Jorge Benitez, a senior fellow with the Atlantic Council’s Brent Scowcroft Center. Russia, Benitez said, wants to “coerce neighbors to follow Putin’s wishes and intimidate others such as the US and Western Europeans to respect Russia’s sphere of influence.”
But even though it may get attention in the short term, Benitez said, Putin’s strategy — and his muscular military posture —can’t go on forever.“The more Putin uses military units to try to bully the West, the more he galvanizes Western opposition to his tactics and ultimate ambitions,” Benitez said.