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The article summarizes the book "The Folly of Rulers: From Troy to Vietnam" by Barbara W. Tuchman. The book examines political and military actions that can be considered as folly. The author defines three criteria for folly: firstly, the policy must have been recognized as counterproductive at the time; secondly, there must have been viable alternative actions; and thirdly, the policy must have been pursued by a group rather than an individual ruler. The book includes case studies spanning over 3,000 years of history, including the Trojan War, the missteps of Renaissance popes, and the United States' defeat in Indochina. The article states that Russia's war in Ukraine can be considered as folly according to the book's criteria. It is noted that the war is not only a crime but also a fundamental folly that Russia and the world will have to bear for a long time. [Extracted from the article]

The article "Putin's Mistake" deals with the events surrounding the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It is pointed out that Russia has legally recognized the breakaway regions of Donetsk and Luhansk from Ukraine and has concluded friendship and assistance agreements with them. It is suspected that the Russian invasion was planned from the beginning and that the West was not willing to accommodate Russian security interests. It is also noted that the Western security architecture is negatively affected by NATO expansions. The article warns of further escalation of the conflict, which could lead to a major war with nuclear danger. [Extracted from the article]

The article titled "Turning Point: More Security through an Arms Boost?" deals with the announcement by Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz to massively arm the Federal Republic of Germany. Scholz plans to establish a special fund for the Bundeswehr amounting to 100 billion euros and an annual defense investment of more than 2 percent of the gross domestic product. In addition, a modern replacement aircraft for the outdated Tornado jets is to be procured. However, the author argues that this armament would neither help Ukraine against Russian aggression nor improve deterrence capabilities towards Russia. He also questions whether a re-militarized Bundeswehr could reliably protect Germany and argues that there is no military answer to security against a nuclear power like Russia. [Extracted from the article]