A specialist in European politics, researcher Kai Enno Lehmann, a professor at USP’s Institute of International Relations, says that Western nations still do not have a clear plan to contain the president of Russia, Vladimir Putin. Lehmann spoke to CNN on Thursday night (24).
In the early hours of Thursday, Putin authorized a “special military operation” in the Donbas region (to the east of Ukraine, where the breakaway regions of Luhansk and Donetsk, which he recognized independence, are located). According to the Ukrainian government, the attacks have already left at least 137 people dead and another 316 injured.
“What strikes me over the last few days and weeks is the impotence that the West seems to have in the face of this situation. He wants to do a lot of things, we talk a lot about sanctions, handing over weapons and everything else, but deep down, nobody knows exactly how to stop Vladimir Putin”, warns.
Lehmann that Putin has given, over the last few decades, clear signals about his authoritarian personality and about his desire to expand in the eastern europe. “He has already intervened in Georgia and annexed Crimea,” he recalls.
“There’s an expression in England that says: ‘if someone shows you who he is, believe him the first time.’ And Putin has shown for 25 years who he is. And, apparently, we didn’t believe it”, adds the professor.
The researcher also points out that “in some respects, wars help authoritarian leaders to sustain themselves in power”.
Finally, Lehmann stressed that Europe, and in particular Eastern Europe, has an extensive history of major armed conflicts throughout history. “I always tell my students: the last 80 years in Europe, historically, were the exception rather than the rule. In many ways, we are apparently returning to the rule rather than the exception. [Um período de] 80 years of uninterrupted peace is something that, in Europe, did not exist. And here we are once again talking about wars and armed conflicts.”
(See the full interview in the video above)
Source: CNN Brasil
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