Authors Benjamin Wittes
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For the benefit of anyone who is actually confused, rather than shilling for Putin, I do not believe in US military involvement in the conflict in Ukraine and have never advocated anything of the kind—much less for the US engaging in forcible regime change in Russia.
The tweet in question came in the context of a long series of tweets I have been assembling over the past several days of Russian and Belorussian protests opposing the war and demanding change.
It came in the context of a series of actions by Western governments—which I support wholeheartedly—to isolate Russia in non-military fashions and support the international order.
My point was that it's hard for me to imagine unwinding these actions entirely while Putin was still in power. Rather, as many other people are saying—including Russians speaking in Russian—the regular order cannot return while Putin remains:
Does anyone, for example, really think that Germany is going to say, as soon as the Ukraine conflict ends, "Oh, that 2 percent GDP on defense stuff? Never mind!"
The tweet in question came in the context of a long series of tweets I have been assembling over the past several days of Russian and Belorussian protests opposing the war and demanding change.
Regime change: Russia.
— Benjamin Wittes (@benjaminwittes) February 27, 2022
It came in the context of a series of actions by Western governments—which I support wholeheartedly—to isolate Russia in non-military fashions and support the international order.
My point was that it's hard for me to imagine unwinding these actions entirely while Putin was still in power. Rather, as many other people are saying—including Russians speaking in Russian—the regular order cannot return while Putin remains:
@Leonid_Gozman: "\u0412\u043b\u0430\u0434\u0438\u043c\u0438\u0440 \u041f\u0443\u0442\u0438\u043d \u0443 \u0432\u043b\u0430\u0441\u0442\u0438, \u043c\u0438\u0440\u0430 \u043d\u0435 \u0431\u0443\u0434\u0435\u0442. \u0415\u0433\u043e \u043e\u0442\u0441\u0442\u0430\u0432\u043a\u0430 \u2013 \u043d\u0435\u043e\u0431\u0445\u043e\u0434\u0438\u043c\u043e\u0435 \u0443\u0441\u043b\u043e\u0432\u0438\u0435 \u043f\u0440\u0435\u0434\u043e\u0442\u0432\u0440\u0430\u0449\u0435\u043d\u0438\u044f \u043f\u0435\u0440\u0435\u0445\u043e\u0434\u0430 \u0432\u043e\u0439\u043d\u044b \u0441 \u0423\u043a\u0440\u0430\u0438\u043d\u043e\u0439 \u0432 \u0422\u0440\u0435\u0442\u044c\u044e \u041c\u0438\u0440\u043e\u0432\u0443\u044e."
— Anders \xc5slund (@anders_aslund) February 27, 2022
Does anyone, for example, really think that Germany is going to say, as soon as the Ukraine conflict ends, "Oh, that 2 percent GDP on defense stuff? Never mind!"