The World Is More Than Enough

To those who have called for an "off-ramp" for Putin, I have just one question. Don't you feel ashamed of yourselves? When you look at what is happening in Mariupol, where citizens are being rounded up and kidnapped to Russia, put in camps and forcibly relocated?

— David Rothkopf (@djrothkopf) March 20, 2022

Thermobaric weapons being launched? When you see the devastation in city after city where residential neighborhoods are being turned to rubble, city centers into smoldering ghost towns? Why are we obligated to provide Putin with anything other than defeat?

— David Rothkopf (@djrothkopf) March 20, 2022

At no point...at no point...has he responded rationally or given the slightest hint that he had any interest in serious negotiations. He has responded to every good faith effort to end this war with further brutality.

— David Rothkopf (@djrothkopf) March 20, 2022

I understand the fear of escalation. I understand the concern about further atrocities, further suffering for the people of Ukraine. But thus far the only thing that has spared Ukraine even greater devastation was the victories of Ukrainian soldiers on the battlefield.

— David Rothkopf (@djrothkopf) March 20, 2022

If you want Putin to withdraw, make him withdraw. Continue to squeeze his economy. Continue to provide Ukraine with the military support it needs. There were only ever going to be two ways Putin would leave Ukraine--following a victory and the installation of a puppet regime...

— David Rothkopf (@djrothkopf) March 20, 2022

But they are rational ideas being offered to placate the madness of a war criminal. Putin is not the master strategist he was made out to be. He is certainly not the savvy statesman Mike Pompeo once described him as.

— David Rothkopf (@djrothkopf) March 20, 2022

Yes, by all means, seek peace. But recognize that what will move us closer to a cease fire, an end to these horrors, is not offering up a diplomatic gift basket to a monster. He will negotiate seriously when he realizes the cost of this war is too great...

— David Rothkopf (@djrothkopf) March 20, 2022

They have communicated that they are willing to listen to Russian proposals. But not only have they found those proposals to be outrageous, they have found that the negotiations are only being used as cover while further escalations and further wanton brutality takes place.

— David Rothkopf (@djrothkopf) March 20, 2022

It provided him with "settlements" and agreements signed at long negotiating tables. And each and every time...not some times...every time...he violated those agreements. And every time the world enabled him to emerge stronger, he used that strength to commit new crimes.

— David Rothkopf (@djrothkopf) March 20, 2022

We must, after 2 decades, learn the lessons Putin has taken such pains to teach us. There are two choices. Either we stop him this time or he will do this again. Either he pays a price for these crimes greater than any he has known before or we will be right back here again soon.

— David Rothkopf (@djrothkopf) March 20, 2022

...then it behooves the rest of the world to ensure that Putin for the rest of his life pays a high price for the crimes he has committed in Ukraine and before.

— David Rothkopf (@djrothkopf) March 20, 2022

Timothy Snyder:

"I guess like so many things, denazification begins at home," said Snyder. "With Mr. Putin, we're talking about a leader who has done away with the entire opposition and created a one-party state and now has started a war on the basis of his belief that some cleansing act of violence will restore racial unity. I mean, that's where you start with denazification in the story. Nevertheless, when we hear Mr. Putin using that word, we should realize he has a purpose using that word. The purpose, aside from confusing us, which has largely failed, is to define a mission that goes deep into Ukrainian society. Because since, as you say, there aren't Nazis in the Ukrainian government, Mr. Putin basically means anybody who's a Ukrainian, anybody resisting, he has the right to call a Nazi. So, as long as Ukrainians are resisting he can say I'm doing my denazification campaign. It's an open license for him to continue the war until everybody submits. It's horrid and grotesque but that's the part we have to take seriously."

No, I'm not after a moral victory. I'm after a ringing signal to the world that merely possessing nuclear weapons isn't a license to engage in the brutal, systematic bombing of civilians.

And letting Putin win w nuclear blackmail will make nuclear use more, not less likely. https://t.co/hRP2or2eTg

— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) March 21, 2022

Rothkopf is not calling for nuclear war, or for the “gamble” of such a war.

The issue isn’t “risk.” You can mitigate risk. A gamble is binary: You either win or lose.

Putin may well be bluffing. But even if the chance of him using nukes is 10%, you’re gambled on an outcome that’s significant.

Then your bad bet is costly, to many others. https://t.co/mZUUWBgIGL

— Mark Hertling (@MarkHertling) March 20, 2022

We do have to distinguish risk from gamble. And we have to note Kinzinger is arguing as if this is U.S. v. Russia. This is not even NATO v. Russia. But it is nuclear war v. non-nuclear war. Which is one reason we have to rely on sanctions. They are as effective a tool of war as military power. We always imagine war will be short and sweet; until we get into it. It never is, even when you defeat your opponent. Afghanistan. Iraq. And the punishment of sanctions can be as devastating as a military victory. And probably an even better lesson of what the world will allow.

World War II was won with alliances. NATO is with us now. The world is allied against Russia in a way it has never been before. We need to keep it that way.