steve on Nostr: “Why Nations Fight” by Richard Lebow, “How the West Brought War to Ukraine” ...

“Why Nations Fight” by Richard Lebow, “How the West Brought War to Ukraine” by Benjamin Abelow, & “Should the West Engagé Putin’s Russia” from the Munk Debates
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Lebow’s book “Why Nation’s Fight” attempts to perform a quantitative analysis on the otherwise subjective motivations for every war since 1648. While his analysis is questionable, his conclusions are insightful: the motivation to increase standing within the international order stands out above security, revenge, and interest as the leading cause of war. In this way, prestige and autonomy become the leading desires of states. Shifting view to the Munk Debates and Abelow’s book on Ukraine, an alternative perspective of today’s war in Ukraine emerges. Did NATO, thru decades of expansionist policy and an inability to “get over” the Cold War’s Russophobia, actually corner Russia to the point they felt compelled to invade Ukraine? Multiple scholars have made this argument and the evidence is compelling, it not convincing. This collection emphasizes the importance of global incentive structures for policy makers—ignoring them can lead global events down unpredictable roads. 🇷🇺🇺🇦