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I wrote about how Biden and the West can help Navalny, Russia, and themselves by standing up to Putin. Do it by listening to Navalny and treating Putin like a crime boss. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/02/04/navalnys-jailing-was-groundhog-day-russian-democracy/
Meanwhile, the EU spent the day humiliating themselves before Putin again. He kicked out some diplomats because he knows that's what they care about. They will respond diplomatically, which he doesn't care about at all.
This is the asymmetry I wrote about in the WaPo and Mig explained more in his thread last night. ( https://twitter.com/chessninja/status/1357527231992647681) There's no leverage with Putin unless you go after what he and his gang care about: money and access for themselves and their families.
If the West really wants to help Navalny—and themselves—they should listen to him. There's a reason Putin hates Navalny and is scared of him, because he hammers Putin's weak spot. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/02/04/navalnys-jailing-was-groundhog-day-russian-democracy/
Btw, we updated my piece quickly last night to mention Biden's speech: "Biden spoke directly at Putin in his foreign policy speech on Thursday, an important step, but he will have to back it up or Putin will know it’s all for show."
One unrelated thing stood out to me. Biden criticized Trump's pathetic relationship with Putin, correctly. But the 2016 hacking and election interference, and slow response, were on Obama/Biden's watch, not Trump's. We must stick to the facts, even if inconvenient!
