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The Means Of Destruction
28 November 2023
Realists claim that strategic competition of great powers is a given, an inevitable reality, but history has already proven them wrong.
Stephen Walt blames the new “Ukraine crisis” on the “liberal illusions” that pushed for NATO enlargement, making Russia feel threatened. He claims that agreeing on Ukraine’s neutral status will make it safer for everyone, including the Ukrainians. However, his argument is built on the dangerous illusion that Moscow is a rational actor that is driven by tangible security concerns. In truth, there is no serious grounds for such concerns and the authoritarian regime in Russia is not bound by that logic. It constructs international threats randomly because that helps regime survival.
Editor’s Pick: Escaping Great Power Politics
It seems to become a bit of a tradition that every time Russia attacks (or threatens to attack) Ukraine, a renowned American IR realist comes forward to explain why this is the West’s fault. In 2014, it was John Mearsheimer with his famous op-ed. Now, it’s Stephen Walt presenting in his article for Foreign Policy “Liberal Illusions Caused the Ukraine Crisis” what looks like a very similar argument. NATO enlargement was a mistake because it endangered Russia, and Moscow has no choice but to react.
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