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Russia: The Case Why Democratic Conditionality Must Be Mandatory
The hangover has been a tough one but next time we will be prepared for the vodka
Now it’s grain. Before that it was gas and oil — still is but less so than at the outset of the war. The removal of Russians from the European market has meant substantial losses of revenue for tourism, also.
Forcing Russia out of our world for bad behavior has not been easy and in the short term, it has caused even more discomfort for us than it has for them. In the way that Russians always do, never able to see beyond the moment at hand but by no means Zen Buddhists, they regard the inconveniences like inflation, energy cutbacks, and other consumption changes faced by Westerners as a sign that Russia is immune to the civilized world’s collective punishment.
Like a child being grounded to his room only to learn that the room is Disney’s Epcot, the giddiness will give way to regret. As wonderful as it may be, that world is fake, and eventually the limitations of that fakeness will overwhelm them.
It has not been easy for anyone and now Putin, in his desperation, is ratcheting up the pressure on the world by declaring that he will implement a naval embargo on Ukraine. Russia does not have the naval strength to do so. But, it…
