re: #111 Killgore Trout

I’ve seen that but I take it with a grain of salt. A few weeks ago the NYT was reporting allegations that Putin had gone insane and lost touch with reality. I’m skeptical of the claims that Putin has fallen into our trap and we have him just were we want him.

Can you say what you think that Russia actually gains from taking Crimea?

As I’ve said, to me this seems more like something they were forced into rather than chose freely. Putin has built his credibility on a nationalistic Russia, a strong, militaristic, Russian Orthodox-religious Russia that’s not just a nation but a people. He backed the pro-Russian, now-ousted leaders of the Ukraine, but their regime collapsed—and not in a way that was easily foreseen.

Russia’s move into the Crimea, where there are lots and lots of ethnic Russians, seems less predicated on any actual gain internationally, and more something Putin was forced into.

What do you think Russia gains?