A War of Values With Russia
No one should be fooled by the Kremlin’s spin doctors: The conflict in Ukraine is not about Ukraine, Russia, or even NATO. Russia’s policy is being driven by its leaders’ fear and loathing of democracy, and the West must respond accordingly.
COPENHAGEN – Russian authorities recently threatened to aim nuclear missiles at Danish warships if Denmark joins NATO’s missile-defense system. This was obviously an outrageous threat against a country that has no intention of attacking Russia. But it also reflects a more fundamental factor in the Kremlin’s foreign policy: desperation to maintain Russia’s strategic influence at a time of unprecedented challenges to its authority.