DeepSummary
John J. Mearsheimer, a professor at the University of Chicago, discusses the causes and consequences of the Ukraine crisis. He argues that the West, specifically the United States and its European allies, bears primary responsibility for the crisis due to their aim of peeling Ukraine away from Russia's orbit and incorporating it into the West through NATO expansion, EU expansion, and promoting democracy. He believes Russia's actions, such as the annexation of Crimea, are a reaction to the West's moves, which Russia perceives as a threat to its core strategic interests.
Mearsheimer contends that the conventional wisdom blaming Russia and Vladimir Putin is wrong, and that the West's response of doubling down and imposing sanctions is making the situation worse. He advocates for creating a neutral Ukraine as a buffer state between NATO and Russia, abandoning NATO expansion, and involving Russia in an economic rescue plan for Ukraine. He predicts that although a new Cold War is unlikely, the crisis will have implications for NATO, U.S. relations with Asian allies, and cooperation with Russia on issues like Iran and Syria.
Mearsheimer emphasizes the historical context, including Ukraine's internal divisions, Russia's fear of NATO encroachment after the Cold War, and the significance of nationalism and World War II in shaping Russian and Ukrainian perspectives. He believes the West is leading Ukraine down a path of destruction by encouraging it to confront Russia, and that a neutral Ukraine would better serve Ukrainian interests.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- The West, specifically the United States and its European allies, bears principal responsibility for the Ukraine crisis due to their efforts to pull Ukraine away from Russia's orbit through NATO expansion, EU integration, and promoting democracy.
- Russia's actions, such as the annexation of Crimea and involvement in eastern Ukraine, are reactions to the West's moves, which Russia perceives as threats to its core strategic interests.
- The conventional wisdom blaming Russia and Vladimir Putin is misguided, according to Mearsheimer.
- Mearsheimer advocates for creating a neutral Ukraine as a buffer state between NATO and Russia to resolve the crisis.
- The crisis will have implications for NATO, U.S. relations with Asian allies, and cooperation with Russia on issues like Iran and Syria.
- Historical context, including Ukraine's internal divisions, Russia's post-Cold War fears, and significance of nationalism and WWII, shape perspectives on the crisis.
- The West is leading Ukraine down a path of destruction by encouraging confrontation with Russia, rather than pursuing a neutral Ukraine beneficial to Ukrainian interests.
- Mearsheimer predicts the West's response of doubling down and imposing sanctions will be ineffective and counterproductive.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “My argument is that the west is principally responsible for this mess, not the Russians. This, of course, is not the conventional wisdom in the United States.“ by John J. Mearsheimer
- “What Putin is doing is he's basically in the process of wrecking Ukraine, and he's telling the west in very simple terms, you have two choices. You either back off, right, and we go back to the status quo ante before February 22, 2014, where Ukraine is a buffer state, or you continue to play these games where you try and take Ukraine and make it a western bastion on our doorstep, in which case we'll wreck the country.“ by John J. Mearsheimer
- “I believe that the policy that I'm advocating, which is neutralizing Ukraine and then building it up economically and getting it out of the competition between Russia on one side and NATO on the other side, is the best thing that could happen to the Ukrainians.“ by John J. Mearsheimer
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Episode Information
Revolutionary Left Radio
Revolutionary Left Radio
3/5/22
John J. Mearsheimer, the R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor in Political Science and Co-director of the Program on International Security Policy at the University of Chicago, assesses the causes of the present Ukraine crisis, the best way to end it, and its consequences for all of the main actors. A key assumption is that in order to come up with the optimum plan for ending the crisis, it is essential to know what caused the crisis. Regarding the all-important question of causes, the key issue is whether Russia or the West bears primary responsibility.