Ep. 398: What is Putin’s Long Game?

Guest: John Stufflebeem, Vice Admiral ret., US Navy

The war in the Ukraine has revealed that Russia is ruthless in its tactics, that it is willing to kill noncombatants.

And it has also demonstrated that despite a coalescing of NATO nations, Ukraine is on its own. As retired U.S. Navy Vice-Admiral John Stufflebeem points out, Putin calculated that the world's political and economic powers have fractured. He noted they did nothing after he annexed Crimea and devastated Aleppo.

So he feels, “Who's going to stop me? Who would dare?” And that is at the core of his thuggish mindset.

Putin has been unabashed in his openness about taking Ukraine under the direct influence of Moscow. He's worked to align Iran, China, North Korea, and he's also deepening his relationship with Indian Prime Minister Modi. Stufflebeem says, “Putin has a much larger strategy than the Ukraine and the countries of the former Soviet bloc.”

Stufflebeem believes that “Putin wants to break up the global power grip of the U.S. and believes a multi-front assault in Europe, the Pacific and the Middle East will overwhelm U.S. and allied resources.”

According to Stufflebeem, “Putin has shown he is willing to twitch his finger on nuclear weapons and he's preparing to, or has already launched, cyber attacks that will grow in magnitude.” He asks, “Will those cyber attacks be a Pearl Harbor moment that launches a larger global conflict?”

Stuart McNish invited retired Vice Admiral of the U.S. Navy, John Stufflebeem, to join him for a conversation that matters about the implications of allowing Russia to go unopposed in Ukraine.