Putin is a Dangerous Madman

Putin is a dangerous madman. I do not say this lightly. But his rhetoric in the last few days is true madness. I wrote yesterday about his paranoia and obsession with Russian greatness. And from my personal experience with members of the Duma, the Russian political elite are obsessed with the idea that Russia is a must be a superpower equal to America and China.

For many years it has been a staple of Russian state propaganda that Maidan was a fascist coup and that Ukraine is riddled with neo-Nazis. I always believed it was mere theater, like Rupublicans who think Obama is a socialist.

But in his speech justifying this invasion, Putin speaks about overthrowing a “fascist junta” in Kiev and “de-nazifying” Ukraine. He also employed the absurd justification for war that Russia was defending people in Donbass from “genocide.” I think he actually believes this. It is sheer madness. And he also speaks of “de-militarizing” Ukraine. This suggests to me that he plans to destroy the Ukrainian military and that he envisions a long-term occupation of Ukraine.

And his threats to destroy anyone who interferes with his plans shows a recklessness that surprised even me.

I’ve always argued that the risks of nuclear war are greater than most people realize. Those risks have now increased dramatically. We are entering an extremely perilous time, and I fear it won’t end soon.

That may not bother most of you. But: if there is a nuclear war, Bitcoin will drop in price. To zero. So will the S&P. Maybe that prospect will worry you.

I will also point out the dangers of throwing around terms like “genocide.” It can and has been used to justify mass violence, in Rwanda, Bosnia, now in Ukraine, by the perpetrators of violence. So Americans should be careful about loose usage of this all too serious word.