Russia's Putin is losing in Ukraine – beware greater dangers that lie ahead

It should now be clear to everyone, including Vladimir Putin himself, that deciding to invade Ukraine was the greatest miscalculation of his career.

It’s not hard to see why the Russian dictator was optimistic at the onset of conflict. Putin’s foreign policy forays in Crimea and the Middle East, enabled by the absence of serious resistance from the West, boosted his confidence in the Russian military. 

The high price of energy, meanwhile, foretold a halfhearted European response to future aggression. And like all authoritarians, Putin was surrounded by yes-men, not genuine strategists.