http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/what-if-putin-doesnt-back-down/

What If Putin Doesn’t Back Down?

The Beltway's blind confidence in its ability to break Russia could push Moscow into desperate measures.

By Scott McConnell • February 4, 2015

What if Vladimir Putin really was tough? What if he would prefer to fight to the death rather than see his country humiliated by the West or his regime collapse into chaos—outcomes he likely regards as equivalent. Is this not possible? There is no shortage of American politicians ready to attribute the most vile traits to Putin: Hillary Clinton, far from America’s most extreme rhetorician, likened him to Hitler. It’s not, of course, a remotely legitimate comparison. But if Putin were one-tenth as reckless as he is commonly depicted, what conclusions ought we to draw?http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/what-if-putin-doesnt-back-down/