There is a strange quiet around European diplomats these days. The looming possibility of a collapsing Russia adds to the kind of quiet you hear before a monsoon breaks in Karachi. People speak softly in corridors, lower their voices at conferences and pretend the future is still predictable. I keep thinking about that silence because it hides two fears that cannot exist together. One fear is old. The fear of a strong Russia. The other fear is new. The fear of a collapsing Russia. And the more I read arguments from Ukrainians, Western analysts and even retired soldiers, the more … Continue reading What If the West Is Wrong About Russian Collapse?