Quote Originally Posted by BigFatPie View Post
Virtually everything that’s happened in UK-US politics in the last 5-10 years has encouraged and strengthened Putin and his aims. Trump, Brexit, Johnson, Corbyn, dirty money, political donations, the Russia report, and Salisbury have happened alongside the invasion of Georgia, the annexation of Crimea and atrocities in Syria. Putin has repeatedly made it clear what sort of man he is, and it has suited various people to ignore it.

The prospect of how all this ends is both depressing and terrifying.
While I agree with you about Putin, I'm not sure what can be done with rogue states like Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, Belarus, etc, without a world war that would decimate the planet and seriously curtail our promotion push.

The thing all of these countries have in common is people living in comparative poverty under authoritarian regimes that exhibit a zero-tolerance policy toward any form of dissent or human rights. The average GDP per capita in Russian is just $11,000, which is truly obscene when you think of how many oligarchs were created in the 1990s. Until these people can get rid of their dictators - which they can't without external help - we're doomed. Today Ukraine, tomorrow Taiwan - and no amount of sanctions will change anything either.

The only positive story I've read about the whole unfolding Ukraine tragedy is the Russian newspaper that's planning to publish its next edition in Russian and Ukrainian as a sign of solidarity with its sister country. A seriously brave editor, who is sure to be packed off to Siberia.