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The west folds before Putin’s bluff

By Philip Stephens

Published: July 17 2006 19:41 | Last updated: July 17 2006 19:41

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Anyone who has sat around a poker table knows the feeling. You have been dealt a strong hand but the steely eyed fellow opposite keeps raising the stakes. Eventually, your nerve breaks. Even as your adversary scoops the pot you know in your heart it was a bluff. Pride demands you pretend otherwise.

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