Denial More Than a River

The Washington Post's David Ignatius writes about the renewal of the Cold War in Europe. As he notes, Russia is up to all the old tricks and some new ones like the "hybrid warfare" practiced in Ukraine. He concludes:

It’s back to the future in Putin’s Europe. But the muscle memory of deterrence seems to have atrophied. It has been so long since NATO was really tested that alliance members may have forgotten what collective self-defense really means.

Meanwhile, our President reacts to Putin's adventurism the way Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge reacted to Harry Potter's reports of Lord Voldemort's return. Like Voldemort, Putin will take advantage of Obama's preference for ignoring provocation. Denial is more than a river in Egypt.