Edward Lucas - Is Putin the Architect of his own Destruction - or does West Bear Some of the Blame?

Putin claims that a belligerent NATO forced his hand to invade Ukraine.  He undoubtedly also feared an independent, democratic, and affluent  Ukraine. But like a classical Greek drama, Putin has by his actions,  created the very conditions here fears. NATO more united than ever, with  new members Finland and Sweden. A resurgent West remembering its values  and rearming. And Ukraine – strong like never before, a nation emerging  from the amnesia of history and from under the yoke of centuries of  imperial domination. Is Putin the architect of his own destruction – and  will his hubris be his undoing, like a Greek tragedy? Edward Lucas was one of the first journalists to raise the alarm about  Putin’s actions and motivations. While most of the world still thought  of Putin as ‘someone we could do business with’, Edward published a  prescient and insightful book in 2008 called “The New Cold War – Putin’s  threat to Russia and the West”. Edward Lucas is now a full-time Liberal  Democrat is a Prospective candidate for the Cities of London and  Westminster constituency, on a platform that includes defending  democracy against dirty money and corruption. He is a columnist for The  Times and has been a Senior Editor on the Economist. Edward is a Senior  Fellow at the Centre for European Policy Analysis.