Even during the first Cold War, Igor Eidman says, there was no talk about Sweden and Finland joining NATO. Now that is very much on the front burner of discussions, a reflection of the fact that again and again Moscow is producing exactly the opposite outcomes that it says it wants.
On the Kasparov.ru portal, the Moscow commentator lists just some of the places in which this pattern holds:
- “The struggle against the expansion of NATO is leading to new countries becoming members.”
- “’The struggle for peace’ is leading to war.”
- “’The defense of the rights of residents of the Donbas’ is leading to the most difficult problems for them.”
- “’The defense of the self-determination of Crimea’ is leading to the actual liquidation of its autonomous status and to direct rule from Moscow.”
- “The struggle with [Western] sanctions is leading to the introduction of new sanctions against its own citizens (for example, on the import of agricultural products).”
- And “the striving to impose a union on Ukraine [lead] to mortal hostility with it.”
In “the kingdom of distorted mirrors” that is Vladimir Putin’s Russia today, he suggests, this list can be extended to many other issues as well, something that should be raising questions for those who support the Kremlin leader because what he is achieving is exactly the reverse of what he proclaims are his goals.
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