My Talk at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs
A discussion with John Gans on The Folly of Realism
Photo by Ana Miyares photography
Dear readers,
This past Thursday I had the pleasure of speaking with John Gans at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs about my latest book The Folly of Realism: How the West Deceived Itself About Russia and Betrayed Ukraine. Our full discussion is linked below and covers the historical nuance and current stakes of American foreign policy in Eastern Europe. Give it a listen and let me know what you think in the comments,
Anniversaries
Anniversaries mark milestones in our lives. Not only in our personal lives but also in the lives of our institutions and homelands. August 24th is the day Ukraine declared its Independence from the Soviet Union. It was no longer the “Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic” (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declaration_of_Independence_of_Ukraine#:~:text=The%20Act%20of%20Declaration%20of,Rada)%20on%2024%20August%201991.&text=The%20Act%20reestablished%20Ukraine's%20state%20independence%20from%20the%20Soviet%20Union.).
It is with great sadness that we acknowledge the continuous assault on Ukraine by Russia. It is often overlooked that this began in 2014, not 2022. We democratic, anti-autocratic and free peoples of the world had hoped that this illegal and immoral war would have ended with Ukraine’s victory over evil by this, their Independence Day. Instead their brave struggle continues. Tragically, the United States is now also under attack. Even more tragically, it is not an outside invader but our own autocratic regime, oligarchs and those who do not believe in our Constitution.
There is so much more to say but let us aspire to be able to celebrate Ukraine’s continued sovereignty as well as the re-establishment of the rule of law in these, our United States of America.
Slava Ukraini and God Bless America.