Thread by @bansisharma

1. Dark Clouds and a Silver Lining

Many are speculating about Putin's mental state. Perhaps the question of Putin’s sanity is beside the point, because there is little the West can do about it.

2. Although both Hitler and Stalin were crazy by any psychiatric standard, they were still able to inflict horrific damage and death on millions of people. But Hitler did not have nuclear weapons, and Stalin’s hydrogen bomb was still being tested when he died.

3. Putin’s nuclear arsenal, on the other hand, could destroy parts of the West in minutes. In a nationally televised address last Thursday, Putin offered a menacing warning of Russia’s nuclear capability, and hinted at his clear willingness to use it if provoked.

4. But all is not going according to Putin’s plan, with Ukrainian resistance stronger than expected and Western sanctions crippling. This is probably why Putin resorted to the insanity of his nuclear threat.

5. If Putin seems both narcissistic and deranged to the West, his own people may be getting the same impression. And feelings of patriotism can only go so far when pocketbooks are empty.

6. As political commentator Anton Orekh noted: “The effect of the current patriotic enthusiasm will be even shorter than after the Crimea. The economic situation is getting worse, so after some time even a victory over Ukraine will arouse people less than prices in stores.”

7. On an optimistic note, unlike those who lived under Stalin and Hitler, Russian people today do not face death if they protest on the street, though they can be thrown into jail, as we have seen with the thousands of arrests in the past few days.

8. Nor would Putin’s subordinates be shot if they refused to go along with Putin’s further acts of aggression. So, hopefully, Russians themselves will take action and stop their leader before “the consequences we have never seen in our entire history” are allowed to occur.

9. I continue to hold hope that Putin will soon be deposed by his own people, especially if the West helps Ukraine in ways that allow Ukraine to hold off Putin's forces for at least a week or two more.

The End