Negotiating with Madmen

Is Putin rational? Or is that the wrong question?

Why has diplomacy thus far failed in the Ukraine crisis? One of the refrains we keep hearing from analysts is that both sides have missed opportunities to de-escalate. Presumably there is a middle ground that can be reached through the give-and-take of rational dialogue. For some people, this is the essence of diplomacy—a positive sum negotiation.

Some h…