Putin’s Attack on Ukraine Shows the Danger of Believing Your Own Hype

The Russian invasion of Ukraine reveals a surprising truth about Russia’s conventional military forces: they are not nearly as formidable as Putin (and the West) believed.

In the 1990s, Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton blew the opportunity of a lifetime to assist in shaping the former Soviet Union into a functioning democracy. But understandably, they could not overcome their aversion to helping a former enemy. Instead, the West gave Russia an official capitalist card, said “Welcome to the club!”, and…