What Putin Got Wrong About Ukraine, Russia, and the West

Russian leadership has long been bound up with the country’s history of autocracy. 

Russian history informs its present-day aggression in Ukraine. For centuries, Russia has been an autocracy, but tyranny and oppression have continually failed to modernize the nation. Russia has long aspired to first-world status, achieving it on rare occasions, such as Peter the Great’s victory in the 18th century or Stalin’s defeat of Hitler during World War II. Yet the country’s ambitions typically exceed its might, not only militarily but also economically. Russia’s efforts to build a powerful state regularly degenerate into a cult of personality.

This demonstrates how Vladimir Putin has changed over...