Online Public Relations Thoughts

Volodymyr Zelenskiy of Ukraine is asking if the West is scared of Russia and that is why it is refusing war planes and armor to the country. The answer is yes.  NATO and Europe are scared of what Putin might do, especially since he has put the country's nuclear force on alert.  Putin has fostered and succeeded in building a perception of himself as a madman determined to get what he wants.  His cynicism is deep and his pragmatic ways of warfare -- crush the spirit of Ukraine through indiscriminate shelling and bombing -- are meant to frighten anyone who opposes him.  The West wants a rational enemy willing to negotiate.  It doesn't know how to handle one who violates norms with impunity, other than with sanctions.  Should NATO bolster Ukraine by sending troops, there is a real chance of World War III.  No one wants that and Putin knows it.  Perception is on his side.