February 4, 2022 6:30 am

Putin, Not NATO, Is to Blame

He has created an international emergency by moving 130,000 troops to the border of a country that represents no conceivable physical threat to Russia.

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Russian service members drive tanks during drills held by the armed forces of the Southern Military District at the Kadamovsky range in Rostov Region, Russia, February 3, 2022.

Sergey Pivovarov/Reuters

Bad ideas never truly go away. So it is that an old left-wing trope from the Cold War has currency again, both on the populist right and among progressives.

The argument is that Vladimir Putin is so afraid of NATO that he has no choice but to menace neighboring countries and occasionally invade them, as he is threatening to do once again in Ukraine.

About the Author

Rich Lowry

Rich Lowry is the editor in chief of National Review.

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Bad ideas never truly go away. So it is that an old left-wing trope from the Cold War has currency again, both on the populist right and among progressives.

The argument is that Vladimir Putin is so afraid of NATO that he has no choice but to menace neighboring countries and occasionally invade them, as he is threatening to do once again in Ukraine.