The End of Putin

Is Russian President Vladimir Putin a congenital liar, a sociopath or a psychopath? The simple answer is yes. There may be clinical differences but Mr. Putin pretty much covers all the bases. Worse yet he is all of the above with a nuclear arsenal that can wipe out civilization several times over. It is apparently a “state secret” for Mr. Putin to disclose the sheer number of nuclear weapons that Russia has or their collective thermonuclear yield but most experts agree that he can do it at least ten times over.

So your first question is what sane person would seek to destroy the world with that level of weaponry? And there in lies your first mistake. Mr. Putin is not sane. At a minimum he is a psychopath which means he cares not a wit about others – not their views, not their politics, not their relationships or their fealty. He is void of empathy, emotional attachments or, in most instances the truth. He can be superficially charming but all the time he is pretending he is also calculating to manipulate and ultimately destroy his friends and foes alike. In his world, there is just him. There is only his goals, aims, and well being that counts. He is most often calm and undisturbed when confronted but that simply intensifies his intention to do harm to the offending person. And when confronted he always does the same thing – lie – and if that doesn’t work he will simply eliminate his foe.

There are not enough words to actually explain or describe his conduct. The closest descriptor is EVIL and as a result he is both a very dangerous man but also one that is vulnerable because his supporters both fear him and loath him. He is Caesar waiting for Brutus.

I am sure that President Donald J. Trump has met and dealt with his share of liars, crooks, con artists and sociopaths but it is doubtful that he has ever dealt with a true psychopath in such an unavoidable way. But he is today and Mr. Trump better be at the top of his game.

Let me suggest that in dealing with Mr. Putin that he does the following four things in order and rapid succession:

1. Communicate directly with the principle Russian oligarchs that they are responsible for the existence of Mr. Putin and the following conditions that are about to be imposed and that their continued support – active or passive – of Mr. Putin will result in the sanctions being imposed on them and/or their enterprises.

2. Impose full and complete sanctions against Russia and those nations that purchase oil from Russia and/or supply arms or support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The sanctions should be applied to both Mr. Putin personally and Russia.

3. Bar nations doing business with Russia access to the United States financial system while encouraging others – most importantly the European countries, Korea, and Japan – to impose similar restriction on access to their financial markets. The sanctions should be applied to both Mr. Putin and Russia.

4. Designate Mr. Putin and his administration an international foreign terrorist entity and remove any current diplomatic immunity that he might enjoy.

The purpose of these, and the order of them, reflects that Mr. Putin’s position as the head of Russia is dependent on the financial well being of the oligarchs. While no single oligarch is probably capable of removing Mr. Putin, the combined weight of a majority of those oligarch can easily displace or eliminate Mr. Putin. Since the beginning of the Ukraine war any number of those oligarchs, in their private conversations, have weighed the future of Russian should Mr. Putin continue. The only thing lacking is a collective conversation and a commitment to act.

As a psychopath, Mr. Putin has no reluctance to use his nuclear weapons, but the oligarchs understand that the destruction of significant parts of Russia in retaliation will mean the end of their power and their fortunes. These oligarchs do not care about power, world domination, or other political machinations except to the extend that they may effect, or in this case, terminate their financial well-being.

Implementation of the recommendations has to be done rapidly and in short order. Mr. Putin is going to use his tactical nuclear weapons as he continues to fail in subjugating Ukraine. Hand wringing by the Western world will simply end in the exchange and escalation of nuclear weapons by and against Russia. The oligarchs know what is required and Mr. Trump’s demonstration of doing what he says he will do is sufficient catalyst to end the tyranny of Mr. Putin and the resolution of the war in Ukraine.

Mr. Trump has been using the economic might of America since virtually the first day of his re-election. This will be the ultimate test of making that work against the world’s top villain.