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A thought-provoking article by Lilia Shevtsova: The Putin Doctrine: Myth, Provocation, Blackmail, or the Real Deal?

The liberal democracies have to admit that their previous Russia policy, based on the three premises “engagement, accommodation, and imitation,” does not work any longer. Their desperate attempts to find a new version of containment that will not obstruct engagement and cooperation have become an object of mockery in the Kremlin and only strengthen the Kremlin’s feeling of both impunity and contempt.

Read the whole thing.