Putin's nuclear blackmail goes doctrinal

Putin’s nuclear brinkmanship follows an oscillating pattern. The announcement of revisions in the nuclear doctrine is supposed to mark an upswing in Russia’s attempts at nuclear coercion. The Kremlin hopes that these revisions will reinforce Western fears of Russia’s nuclear capabilities to influence the proceedings of the Ramstein format meeting. An ensuing pause in nuclear rhetoric timed for demonstrating responsible statesmanship on the eve of the BRICS summit is also reasonably predictable. The sequence of Ukrainian long-distance strikes is set to continue, but these increasingly spectacular hits—whether by domestically produced or Western-supplied weapons—will make little difference in Russia’s nuclear maneuvering across the political space of the long war. Like every aging autocrat, Putin is highly egocentric and cannot comprehend that his blatant blackmail makes it impossible for Western leaders to yield.