The Patriot Post® · Stop Psychoanalyzing Putin

Victor Davis Hanson: “Aggressors often attack their weaker neighbors to restore a sense of pride. They calibrate self-interest not so much in getting more stuff as winning greater honor, feeling safer and instilling more fear. … We should stop trying to psychoanalyze [Vladimir] Putin, arguing that he is really weak or is an adolescent showing off his machismo – much less that he has legitimate grievances. Instead, Putin believes that the more he grabs from others, the prouder his otherwise downtrodden citizens will become, the more respect they will earn abroad, and the less likely others will fool with him. Until that is no longer true, Putin will continue.”