"Putin is a rogue dictator and respects nobody's rights but his own. That doesn't, however, mean that he is intent on destroying the world with nuclear weapons unless it bends to his will, or on launching a Hitleresque blitzkrieg in Europe. He will make trouble for the EU, NATO and the U.S., but he is careful not to unduly endanger the grip that he and his billionaire friends have on Russia. Adventures in the style of Auric Goldfinger, or Ernst Stavro Blofeld, would be too risky for the real life Putin."

"The perception of the threat Putin poses, and the rhetoric of response to it have outgrown the the threat itself. Taken much further, that response could even feed Putin's paranoia about the threat the West poses to his regime and Russia more broadly, that it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy."

Putin Is No James Bond Villain - Bloomberg View

Trådtittel inneholder et spørsmål som jeg ikke uventet syns er relevant, og som jeg er redd bør besvares med ja.