Garry Kimovich Kasparov is a Russian chess grandmaster, former World Chess Champion, writer, political activist and commentator.<br /><br />Given Putin’s undeserved reputation as a master strategist and his genuine expertise in judo, some analysts have employed the metaphors of chess or martial arts. Yet there is a better analogy. Given my experiences in the world of high-stakes gambling, I view the current confrontation between the West and Russia as a game of televised poker.<br /><br />Poker, like martial arts and war, favors calculated aggression. Only by keeping your opponent(s) off balance can you provoke their misplays. Furthermore, Putin’s machismo leads him to underestimate his adversaries and show off for domestic and international consumption. Unsurprisingly, his favorite tactic is unprovoked aggression—in other words, the bluff. He got away with it in Georgia in 2008, Syria from 2012 onward, in annexing Crimea in 2014, and in meddling in the U.S. and British elections of 2016.<br /><br />gambling sessions rarely continue until one adversary goes completely bust. After a few losing sessions, the defeated gambler throws in the towel, acknowledging to himself—if not to the opponents—that he is the weaker player or that he lacks sufficient funds to make a comeback.<br /><br />✔ <a href="https://geonow.substack.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">https://geonow.substack.com/</a><br /><br />✅ Subscribe: <a href="https://bit.ly/3slupxs" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">https://bit.ly/3slupxs</a><br />🌍 <a href="https://beacons.ai/GEONOW" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">https://beacons.ai/GEONOW</a><br /><br />Putin's Bluff | Garry Kasparov<br />#kasparov #chess #ukrainewar<br />...<br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csQ55H7c94s" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csQ55H7c94s</a>