JAMES CARAFANO: Whether Putin Attacks Ukraine or Not, He’s Already Won.

The threat of sanctions is meant to deter a full-blown Russian invasion of Ukraine. But history shows that sanctions are no more of a deterrent to Putin than a speed bump to a monster truck. Just ask the good folks of occupied Crimea. Or occupied Georgia.

Indeed, sanctions are not for deterring bad behavior; they are a tool of coercion, meant to punish bad behavior. Totalitarian regimes have learned to live with sanctions. Just ask the ayatollah.

By putting only sanctions out there, Biden looks feckless. And that means that, whether he attacks Ukraine or not, Putin has already won. The Russian strongman has shown he can threaten and intimidate the transatlantic community, while they do nothing more than wave their fingers at the bully who made a career of breaking fingers for fun.

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