Professor Sarah Paine, a historian and strategist at the U.S. Naval War College, thinks Vladimir Putin is making a mistake. The Russian President believes his biggest enemy is Ukraine, but Professor Paine disagrees.
According to her, China is the real threat to Russia‘s existence. She points out that Russia’s leader, Czar Nicholas II, made a similar error in 1904-05 during the Russo-Japanese War. He fought Japan over control of Manchuria, which was actually a war over economic interests and concessions.
Professor Paine thinks Putin is doing the same thing today. He is fighting a war against Ukraine, but not addressing the real issue: China’s growing power. By focusing on Ukraine, Putin is allowing China to become stronger, which could eventually threaten Russia itself.
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