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2 Massive Ways Putin Miscalculated His Invasion of Ukraine
Russia’s economy has been sanctioned more heavily than that of Venezuela, Syria, Iran, and even North Korea. Everyone is blaming one person and asking the very prescient question: What on earth was Putin thinking?
Putin made a massive blunder. He has shown his hand. And most of its strength was in the threat it posed. All in all, it is now abundantly clear that Putin miscalculated on two massive fronts: (1) the unity of the West and (2) the resolve of the Ukrainian people. I will discuss both in turn.
1. The Unity of the West
First and foremost, Putin miscalculated the unity and solidarity of democracy in the world from leading economic powers. Putin expected a weakened and tired liberal order due to the pandemic and the horrible decade we have had. Looming inflation prices across the Globe were putting presidents and prime ministers on edge. Unrest reigned across all countries. Protests continually erupted against mask or vaccine mandates and further lockdowns, as was the case in Australia, Austria, and France, among other nations.
Putin also saw a weakened and divided European Union. A wave of anti-globalist, anti-Europe, and anti-elite politics awoke in Europe following Brexit. France, Poland, Hungary, and even Germany saw right-ring populist…
