Putin is squandering Russia's massive energy resources to enrich himself and fellow kleptocrats; dominate European markets; use his military might to bully former members of the Soviet Empire into submission. He wants to reestablish the empire under the guise of a rabid new nationalism. Ukraine is in immediate danger. Others countries will follow.
He built extravagant Sochi to host the 2014 Olympics. He has bribed FIFA to bring Soccer World Cup to Sochi in 2018.
Nothing will humiliate him more than an international boycott of the Sochi event. No sanctions or military response will be as effective in undermining his hold on the Russian government.
President Carter boycotted the Moscow Olympics on the heels of the Afghanistan invasion. It marked the beginning of the demise of the USSR.
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