Putin, a ‘rogue male’ on the rampage, threatens to start a war no one wants | Simon Tisdall

No western leader wants to lock horns over Ukraine - but they need to declare the Russian leader a pariah

The term rogue male", denoting a rampaging bull elephant, is also used figuratively to describe a dangerously out-of-control, cold-hearted loner. It may be that Vladimir Putin has a cuddly side. If so, it's well-hidden. Russia's president fits the rogue male profile to a T - unscrupulous, vicious, cunning, and ever ready to trample on other people and countries.

Much recent effort has been expended trying to understand and explain Putin's motives in threatening a wider war in Ukraine. Does he hope to restore past Soviet glories or crush Kyiv's pro-western trajectory? Is it about his historical legacy or his need for a repeat electoral Crimea bounce"? Such theories carry weight, but they all miss the essential point.