'Putin’s use of blackmail is “always a bluff,” Skobov concludes. He “really is very much afraid of losing face” because he knows that his loss of face will lead to “the destruction of his power. Therefore, one must not help Putin save face. One must help him lose it..'<blockquote>'And “no attempts to win Putin over by concessions will force him to give up on his plans to destroy the world order.”
“It is senseless to try to help Putin save face because he does not intend to back down,” Skobov says. “Putin is certain” that he will always be able to outplay the West and gain concessions given that the West believes concessions work and business sees profits in working in Russia.
That certainty is the foundation of his “entire strategy of hybrid war,” a conflict in which “the Kremlin sends forces to Ukraine masking them” in one way or another and “Western countries until the last possible moment try to avoid open recognition of the fact of direct aggression by the Russian Federation.”
According to Skobov,”Putin constantly makes the same two moves over and over again: he commits an act of aggression and at the same time blackmails the world with the threat of another still more dangerous step. Then he imitates a willingness” to not take the second step if there are concessions. And the West sees his actions as a display of “’good will.’”
That reaction then allows Putin to get ready for his next act of aggression and repeat the same process, the Moscow analyst says.
..
If the West doesn’t impose more sanctions, Putin and his elite will see this as a triumph of his policy and that will lead him and them to proceed in the same direction rather than change course. “People who are driven by revanchism must experience its consequences,” Skobov says. “This is the only means of curing that.”
“Putin’s support will end very quickly when his aura of being incapable of losing dissipated and when he begins to suffer real failures. And the only means to stop him is to ensure that he faces defeat.” Trying to “’understand’” him or “’find a compromise’” will only put off that day and mean that the West will have to do the right thing from a worse starting point.
Putin’s use of blackmail is “always a bluff,” Skobov concludes. He “really is very much afraid of losing face” because he knows that his loss of face will lead to “the destruction of his power. Therefore, one must not help Putin save face. One must help him lose it, and one must help him break his neck” as well.'
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Western Leaders Must Make Putin Lose Face Not Help Him Save It, Skobov Says January 28, 2015</blockquote>
Context<blockquote>
'..appeasement encourages the aggressor to greater acts of violence..' - Donald Tusk'..Russia .. escalation of hostilities in Ukraine.''..Archduke Otto .. warned .. Russian imperialism .. conquering Ukraine, folding it into Russia and using it as a platform for further major operations in Europe..' - Prince Michael of Liechtenstein</blockquote>