One of the fundamental problems facing the democracies of the west when taking on the kleptocracy that is today's Russia is an unwillingness to use Putin's corruption against him.
In today's NYT, Paul Krugman lays out the case for and against hitting the Russians where it hurts, namely in their wallets. Putin is reputedly the world's richest man with most of the money tied up in overseas accounts. Going after his wealth as well as that of his fellow kleptocrats is seemingly a no-brainer. However, in order to do that, the west must confront its complicity in this corruption and its own oligarchy. That is one reason the Biden administration is tip toeing around the direct confrontation with Putin and his ill gotten gains.
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