How ironic that Russia’s Tsar, Mr Putin seeks the help of the historic enemy, the dreaded Turk.
Just over three centuries ago another Russian Tsar, Peter the Great had much cause to be grateful to the (Ottoman) Turk. Having allowed his army of 40,000 odd to be encircled by an Ottoman army of 200,000; Peter was forced make a humiliating surrender. However the terms were not as punitive as they should have been thanks to a judicious bribe to the Ottoman commander, the redoubtable Baltaci Mehmet Pasha.*
Had Baltaci not accepted that bribe, Peter would have been taken naked, in a cage to Istanbul, and history would have been completely different as they say.
History would be different?
But why?
Your view of history as “actions of great men” is quite old fashioned.
Moscovy would recover under different Tsar and Ottomans would decline anyway (maybe more slowly)
Some trends are independent of great leaders.
Do you think Soviet Union collapsed because of leadership?
What matters are systems both in politics and business..
Thanks to UnHerd’s hopeless reply system it is too late to answer this criticism.
Two years ago they had an Infinitively better system called Disqus. Since then things have gone to pot I’m afraid.
Martin Logan
1 year ago
The author’s headline indicates he doesn’t understand the real situation here.
However many men and weapons Putin has, almost all of his trained battle groups are already committed to the fight–and doing a very poor job. More men and more tanks, however advanced, are useless without training. That will require months–unless Putin simply wants to lose them all to a far more effective Ukrainian army.
Moreover, the most effective strikes are being carried out by precision guided weapons, of which Russia has a very limited quantity. They are designed for nuclear war, not conventional. Most significant, Taiwan’s embargo on chips means that it is unlikely most Russian equipment that has been lost will be replaced.
Erdogan’s real strategy is to prevent Russia from dominating the Black Sea. He is happily watching Russia bleed itself dry.
He knows at the end of this Putin will probably go, and Russia will no longer be a significant power–and that it may not even survive as a single state.
Minor note: headlines here are not author’s, they’re editor’s, and they’re often misleading and tuned to clickbait… It’s a real shame, but here we are…
He knows at the end of this Putin will probably go, and Russia will no longer be a significant power–and that it may not even survive as a single state.
I am puzzled by your comment about “single state”.
Could you expand on that, please?
Weak Russia is great, but what is now Russia is fairly stable (ok, Caucasus excepted), unless you think that China will move in Siberia?
Which would not be in West interest anyway.
Kiat Huang
1 year ago
“The prospect of peace rests solely in Putin’s hands”. David, really?
When Germany invaded Poland then on a rampage through Europe was the prospect of peace, solely in Hitler’s hands?
No it was not. And thank goodness it was not.
Today, the inability to recognise that it is the West, and only the West (since the UN or its other member countries are unwilling), that can ensure peace in the region. Russia, under Putin, has broken the peace and has done so, since 2014.
Like Nazi Germany before it, peace must be imposed upon Russia by military, economic and diplomatic means. Peace is never guaranteed by one country alone and to think it is, is naïve.
John Harrison
1 year ago
With reference to your comment about Putin not caring about the lives of his soldiers, I’m reminded of Stalin’s remark that ‘One death is a tragedy, a million deaths is a statistic’.
How ironic that Russia’s Tsar, Mr Putin seeks the help of the historic enemy, the dreaded Turk.
Just over three centuries ago another Russian Tsar, Peter the Great had much cause to be grateful to the (Ottoman) Turk. Having allowed his army of 40,000 odd to be encircled by an Ottoman army of 200,000; Peter was forced make a humiliating surrender. However the terms were not as punitive as they should have been thanks to a judicious bribe to the Ottoman commander, the redoubtable Baltaci Mehmet Pasha.*
Had Baltaci not accepted that bribe, Peter would have been taken naked, in a cage to Istanbul, and history would have been completely different as they say.
(* Exiled to Lemnos for this avarice.)
History would be different?
But why?
Your view of history as “actions of great men” is quite old fashioned.
Moscovy would recover under different Tsar and Ottomans would decline anyway (maybe more slowly)
Some trends are independent of great leaders.
Do you think Soviet Union collapsed because of leadership?
What matters are systems both in politics and business..
Thanks to UnHerd’s hopeless reply system it is too late to answer this criticism.
Two years ago they had an Infinitively better system called Disqus. Since then things have gone to pot I’m afraid.
The author’s headline indicates he doesn’t understand the real situation here.
However many men and weapons Putin has, almost all of his trained battle groups are already committed to the fight–and doing a very poor job. More men and more tanks, however advanced, are useless without training. That will require months–unless Putin simply wants to lose them all to a far more effective Ukrainian army.
Moreover, the most effective strikes are being carried out by precision guided weapons, of which Russia has a very limited quantity. They are designed for nuclear war, not conventional. Most significant, Taiwan’s embargo on chips means that it is unlikely most Russian equipment that has been lost will be replaced.
Erdogan’s real strategy is to prevent Russia from dominating the Black Sea. He is happily watching Russia bleed itself dry.
He knows at the end of this Putin will probably go, and Russia will no longer be a significant power–and that it may not even survive as a single state.
Minor note: headlines here are not author’s, they’re editor’s, and they’re often misleading and tuned to clickbait… It’s a real shame, but here we are…
You seem to be well informed. And I hope your right because The fate of the human race depends on it.
He knows at the end of this Putin will probably go, and Russia will no longer be a significant power–and that it may not even survive as a single state.
I am puzzled by your comment about “single state”.
Could you expand on that, please?
Weak Russia is great, but what is now Russia is fairly stable (ok, Caucasus excepted), unless you think that China will move in Siberia?
Which would not be in West interest anyway.
“The prospect of peace rests solely in Putin’s hands”. David, really?
When Germany invaded Poland then on a rampage through Europe was the prospect of peace, solely in Hitler’s hands?
No it was not. And thank goodness it was not.
Today, the inability to recognise that it is the West, and only the West (since the UN or its other member countries are unwilling), that can ensure peace in the region. Russia, under Putin, has broken the peace and has done so, since 2014.
Like Nazi Germany before it, peace must be imposed upon Russia by military, economic and diplomatic means. Peace is never guaranteed by one country alone and to think it is, is naïve.
With reference to your comment about Putin not caring about the lives of his soldiers, I’m reminded of Stalin’s remark that ‘One death is a tragedy, a million deaths is a statistic’.
‘Solely’. That’s it right there.