Subject: Re: 23 NATO Allies Meet Spending Targets
Putin probably overplayed his hand with Ukraine. Maybe he was thinking it would be like seizing Austria in 1936 (i.e. no declaration of war followed, and resistance was token, at best).


Minor quibble that doesn't impact your analysis of Putin's strategy-

Per my Father and Uncle.....to my family's great disappointment and ultimate peril, a substantial number of Austrians were thrilled by the arrival of the Nazis.

I believe the word my uncle used was 'giddy.'