Putin’s Extraordinary Defeat Is Why We are Unlikely To See an Invasion of Taiwan Soon…

My two cents…

Don Fontijn via Unsplash

Since February, we have been treated to such an extraordinary spectacle: Vladmir Putin’s ignominious defeat at the hands of a supposedly weaker and less formidable foe.

As expected, you will have read a plethora of opinion pieces, here and elsewhere as to why this was the case.

You will have read about the profoundly incompetent generals who failed to give Putin sound advice on the best approach to invade its neighbours, of which the outcome has been tens of thousands of dead Russian service men.

You will also have read about Russia’s reasons for waging war in the very first place — its access and need for control of Ukraine’s ports.

But I think that it is important to explain the following points about this vast nation-state.

Russia is the world’s preeminent landmass power which is surrounded by implacable foes. Given its geography, it always has to worry about its neighbours getting up to some mischief or another.

This thinking certainly informed the actions of Ivan the terrible, several centuries ago, when he sought to expand the frontiers of Russia’s power.