What Happened To Putin?

Vladimir Putin appears increasingly isolated and inscrutable, although the Russian president wasn’t always this way.

Putin has demonstrated an opportunist and pragmatic personality, at least on most issues, with beliefs more similar to ‘mainstream’ than ‘rogue’ leaders.

But many have noted that Putin has changed in recent years, that he is somehow ‘off’. Indeed, the relative pragmatism that once characterized Putin’s foreign policy choices appears to have evaporated in light of the ongoing invasion.

Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine may have come from a growing confidence in past ‘successes’, or at least in decisions that went well enough to keep him in power.

As a result, he may have experienced over-confidence in his ability to swiftly control Ukraine, a lack of empathy to anticipate others’ reactions, and a strong need to exert power over others.

Weeks into the war, Russia’s financial constipation is unmistakable.

The West first sanctioned the country’s banking sector. The global financial system then took command and gridlocked practically every money thoroughfare between Russia and the rest of the world.

Visa and Mastercard evaporated. Google and Apple shut off their digital payment systems. Insurance policies vanished. The Big Mac is no more.