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Putin Would Sign His Execution by Using Nuclear Weapons
In light of Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the risk of nuclear war has been heightened but is still not as significant as some might argue.
In fact, the US has made it abundantly clear that they are tracing Putin’s every move. They know where he is, who he’s talking to, and just how much he’s losing this war.
If Putin launched a nuclear missile on Ukrainian territory, Putin would not survive it. He would sign his execution there and then. Putin knows this.
His threats are just that, threats.
Nonetheless, this conflict showcases a number of ways foreign policy can deescalate the potential for nuclear conflict and the many ways US foreign policy has deeply miscalculated when it comes to Putin.
In my view, US foreign policy must be more hawkish despite trends toward isolationism in US domestic politics.
The catastrophic withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan in August 2021 greatly influenced Putin’s military presence on the border of Ukraine in September of 2021.
Recently, I asked the author of an up-and-coming book on Russia and Ukraine (will remain anonymous, as the event was a graduate seminar and not open to the public) about how much Putin escalated his military presence on the border…
