- Question
How should the West deal with Vladimir Putin?
Russian President Vladimir Putin has been in power for two decades. In that time he has rebuilt Russia's military, imprisoned and killed political opponents at home and abroad, annexed Crimea, gone to war with Georgia and Ukraine, deployed troops to Syria, and plundered the country. An increasingly authoritarian figure, Putin continues to divide Western countries, how should they deal with him?
The West should actively reset relations
This position holds that the West should actively reset relations with Vladimir Putin's Russia. It argues that isolating Russia benefits no one, and that Moscow and the West share enough common goals to make cooperation more productive than confrontation.
The West should actively isolate Putin
This position holds that the West should actively isolate Vladimir Putin. It argues he has shown time and again that he cannot be trusted, so engagement is futile, and that diplomatic and economic isolation is the only sound response to his conduct.
The West should ignore Putin
This position holds that the West should simply ignore Vladimir Putin. It argues that he will increasingly become an irrelevance — possibly nearing retirement — so that engaging, resetting or actively isolating him is wasted effort better spent elsewhere.
The West should engage with Putin on a transactional basis
This position holds that the West should deal with Vladimir Putin on a transactional basis, appealing to Russia's self-interest. It argues for treating Putin much as any other world leader — engaging pragmatically, deal by deal, rather than resetting, isolating or ignoring him.