NATO

The NATO Summit in Vilnius was the usual mix of capital letters and small print. Sweden got in, Turkey acted cool, Hungary behaved and the chorus line followed the script.

The Ukrainian president was like the star who was tipped for the Oscar but who had to return home without the price.

The commitment of President Biden was genuine. His restraint was equally warranted. President Zelensky must feel frustrated but NATO has no other alternative but needing to tiptoe in between too many unknowns.  Nobody fathoms what is really going on in Moscow. Putin's world is as familiar as Mars. 

Many NATO members have misgivings regarding the future. They also fear the outcome of the American presidential elections next year. Accordingly, some hesitate to overcommit, while others want to speed up decisions while the current administration is the ultimate guarantor.  Biden will not give in to pressure, rightly so.

The waiting game is the shared unpleasant scenario that both the West and Putin have to endure. Ukraine pays the price for this imposed Realpolitik.

Putin is Russian after all, a multiplier of arrogance and envy. In Russian culture the romantic shares the house with the demonic, which makes for a permanent tension and susceptibility.

Contrary to the normal times in the past, the West can no longer seduce or reason the mostly Southern hemisphere. Yesterday's BRICS have turned into today's bricks, which multiply before our eyes.  Rather than side with one or the other, they prefer now to sit on the sidelines. For Putin and Xi they are eye candy.