VIDEOSGZERO World with Ian BremmerQuick TakePUPPET REGIMEIan ExplainsGZERO ReportsAsk IanGlobal Stage
Site Navigation
Search
Human content,
AI powered search.
Latest Stories
Sign up for GZERO Daily.
Get our latest updates and insights delivered to your inbox.
Puppet Regime is up for a Webby Award!
VOTE HERE
GZERO World Clips
Highlights from the GZERO World with Ian Bremmer weekly television show.
Presented by
Joe Biden said invading Ukraine would cost Russia and Vladimir Putin dearly, and indeed, not much has gone Putin's way. But what options does Putin have? Ian Bremmer speaks with Ivan Krastev, political scientist and author of After Europe, who believes Putin has the autocrat's curse: his back is against the wall because he can't be perceived as weak. For Krastev, Putin miscalculated in Ukraine — but in a much deeper way than how the invasion is playing out so far. Krastev offers three explanations: Putin never accepted that the Soviet Union collapsed because communism did, he thought the West is in such decline that he'd get away with it, and Putin wants to fix all Russia's problems in his lifetime.
His "special military operation" has become a punishment because he can't convert Ukrainians, says Krastev. Putin's state media has convinced many Russians that they are really fighting the West. Krastev unpacks many of Putin's problems, including his long-term fear of a shrinking Russian population, his miscalculations about the war, and why his biggest blunder has been to misread Ukrainians. Krastev believes Putin is certainly unhappy with how the war is progressing on the ground, but views himself fighting a longer and more consequential battle with the West.
Keep reading...Show less
More from GZERO World Clips
GZERO Series
GZERO Daily: our free newsletter about global politics
Keep up with what’s going on around the world - and why it matters.








