If there was a time when dictators pretending to have a modicum of diplomacy and respect for the rights and dignities of both citizens and foreign states and nationals that time seems to be ending. Vladimir Putin and his invasion of Ukraine is the perfect example. This article by Yascha Mounk is published by The Atlantic. Here is an excerpt:

Vladimir putin has stopped pretending. For months, the Russian president had claimed that he was merely interested in the security of his nation. For months, he had assured the world that he was interested in a diplomatic solution. For months, he had ridiculed warnings about an impending Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Then he ordered a full-scale attack on a sovereign nation. Russian missiles blew up targets in key cities including Kyiv, Lviv, and Kharkiv. Russian troops rapidly advanced into Ukrainian territory. War has returned to the heart of Europe.

Though Putin insisted that Russia was merely carrying out a “special military operation,” he clearly intended the world to hear his message. The global order that had emerged after the fall of the Soviet Union is a thing of the past. Putin no longer intends to let even the most basic international norms—like the prohibition on territorial conquest by military means—limit his ambitions.

Read the full article through this link.