Russia

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• 11/6/2022
  

  Russian Soldiers' Calls Home Echo Moral Injury Testimony of Vietnam Vets

  by Elise Lemire

  Translations of intercepted calls from Russian soliders in Ukraine reveal guilt, shame, anger, and loss of faith in national institutions and leadership that echo the testimony of Vietnam Veterans Against the War. Will these veterans help launch resistance to Russian militarism? 

• 
• 10/30/2022
  

  Between January 6 and Ukraine, Macho Men Threaten Democracy

  by Walter G. Moss

  "It would be simplistic to blame the Russian invasion of Ukraine on Putin’s misguided machismo, but it certainly is a factor."

• 
• SOURCE: National Interest
  10/26/2022
  

  Perspective: Using a Nuclear Weapon Would be Disastrous for Russia

  by Steve Cimbala and Lawrence J. Korb

  Russia has retained much of the Soviet-era's top-down command structure, which removes decisionmakers from both the real-world context and consequences of big decisions. This presents a danger that those leaders will misundersand the catastrophic result of a nuclear bomb. 

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• SOURCE: New York Times
  10/26/2022
  

  Putin Loyalists Steal Remains of Potemkin from Kherson

  The theft reflects contemporary Russian nationalists' view of Potemkin as the intellectual progenitor of a Greater Russia. 

• 
• SOURCE: Washington Post
  10/24/2022
  

  Tim Snyder: Why Putin Wants the Republicans in Power

  Although the Republicans are split, it seems clear that Putin is working to boost the isolationist elements of the MAGA movement at a moment when Ukrainian forces are close to defeating Russia's invasion with international and American support. 

• 
• SOURCE: Salon
  10/8/2022
  

  Putin Could Fall, but it Might Not Help the West Much

  by Jim Sleeper

  Those speculating on the possible precarity of Putin's regime should be wary of the illiberal and authoritarian tendencies rising in the West. 

• 
• SOURCE: New York Times
  10/11/2022
  

  Bombing Kyiv Into Submission? History Says "Unlikely"

  The utility of bombing civilian centers has been overrated, and the strength of the backlash such bombing creates underestimated, by military strategists. 

• 
• 10/9/2022
  

  What the Cuban Missile Crisis Teaches Us about Ending the Ukraine War

  by Walter G. Moss

  Many people have invoked JFK's handling of the Cuban Missile Crisis as a reminder of the need for toughness in international confrontation. The equally vital but less popular lesson is that creative leadership is just as important. 

• 
• 8/28/2022
  

  Who and What to Believe about Ukraine?

  by Walter G. Moss

  Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the ongoing war test our ability as citizens to be aware of our biases in search of information and understanding. 

• 
• SOURCE: New/Lines
  8/5/2022
  

  What the Nazi-Soviet Fight in Ukraine Tells Us About the War Today

  by Pascal Trees

  A family archive of letters from a German soldier fighting the Red Army in Ukraine reveals the complexities of ethnic and national identity that are in dispute by Russian and Ukrainian partisans today. 

• 
• 8/7/2022
  

  Why Should War Criminals Operate with Impunity?

  by Lawrence Wittner

  When major military powers like Russia, China and the United States withhold participation in the International Criminal Court, it allows war criminals to do as they please. Leading a more stable international order means joining fully with the ICC. 

• 
• SOURCE: Substack
  7/30/2022
  

  Putin's Rule is Weakening. Then What?

  by Timothy Snyder

  A shift in rhetoric from prominent Russian politicians has revealed fissures in their relationships to Putin, suggesting that they are positioning themselves to benefit from a difficult war in Ukraine and a possible political upheaval.

• 
• SOURCE: Newsweek
  7/23/2022
  

  Tim Snyder: Russians Openly Contemplating Post-Putin Era

  Domestic politicians warning of the danger Russia faces from the stalled Ukraine war are partly trying to rally nationalistic fervor and partly positioning themselves for a possible struggle for power in the event that Putin loses control. 

• 
• 7/8/2022
  

  The Wagner Group is Just the Latest Example of Privatized War

  by Lawrence Wittner

  Hiring soldiers of fortune to wage war has long been profitable to mercenaries and politically advantageous to rulers. Its modern resurgence with the American Blackwater organization and the Russian Wagner Group show the need for stronger cooperative security to prevent human rights abuse.

• 
• SOURCE: Foreign Policy
  7/1/2022
  

  Is the Ukraine War the Start of a New Period of History?

  by David A. Bell

  The idea that the Russian invasion will be seen as a turning point by future scholars is tempting given the immediate seriousness of events. But two years ago, people were saying the same thing about the COVID pandemic. 

• 
• 6/19/2022
  

  Russia's Justifications for Invasion Don't Hold Up Any Better Now than in February

  by Lawrence Wittner

  The alleged threat of Ukraine's NATO membership, supposed "denazification" and claims of cultural unity all fall flat; none excuse Russia's violation of Article 2 of the United Nations Charter. 

• 
• SOURCE: Made By History at the Washington Post
  6/13/2022
  

  Ukraine's Struggle for Independence is a Century Old, Despite Putin's Claims

  by Joshua D. Zimmerman

  Ukrainian nationalists have worked for independence since the upheaval of the first world war. 

• 
• SOURCE: The Atlantic
  6/11/2022
  

  Biden Needs to Frame Ukraine Goal as Securing Sovereignty, not Democracy

  by Stephen Wertheim

  An American pledge to the defend principle of sovereignty will attract more allies into a coalition than a promise to defend democracy, especially since, prior to the Russian invasion, Ukraine's standing as a democratic state was tenuous. 

• 
• SOURCE: National Interest
  6/4/2022
  

  Security Studies Scholar: NATO Must Push Ukraine to Negotiate End of Hostilities with Russia

  by Hugh DeSantis

  The US and NATO must use the leverage of arms supplies to push Ukraine to negotiate with Russia or risk an interminable – and wider – conflict. 

• 
• 6/5/2022
  

  Can Ukraine Harness the Power of the Small to Survive Russia's Attack?

  by Paul J. Croce

  While Ukraine’s fate hangs in the balance, its greatest strengths, like those of lowly insects and microscopic pathogens, rests with its readiness to use the strengths of the small.