11 Aug, 2022
Unworthy victims?
The invasion of Ukraine and the war that it initiated led to widespread coverage of the struggles of ordinary people in a zone of conflict that’s surprisingly rare.
11 Aug, 2022
22 Jul, 2022
Deterrencelessness: Nuclear threats neither credible nor viable
Threatening to make attacks with nuclear weapons is known as “deterrence” when the United States does it, but it’s called madness, blackmail, or “terrorism” if Russia, China, or North Korea does.
6 Jul, 2022
The illusion of military dominance
United States military analysts love strategies and the theories behind them. The theories provide what appear to be perfectly reasonable and rational approaches to warfighting, even offering a sense of certainty about the outcome.
20 Jun, 2022
Putin attempts to justify the unjustifiable
The Russian government’s justifications for its war in Ukraine?the largest, most destructive military operation in Europe since World War II?are not persuasive.
16 Jun, 2022
The Case for Stopping the Ukraine-Russia War
The Ukraine-Russia war has raged for more than a hundred days. Now is a critical time to reflect on the case for people of good will to urge their leaders to end the war...
30 May, 2022
The war in Ukraine: A national debate is needed
Of late (generational dark humor alert), I have begun to feel as though Professor Peabody and his trusty human Sherman have stuffed me into their WayBack Machine and sent me back to 2003...
13 May, 2022
To end the horror in Ukraine, go big, and go broad
The tragic, illegal war of aggression by Russia against Ukraine should end now, with a ceasefire and then a comprehensive peace agreement.
1 May, 2022
The coming Old New Order
A principal lesson of the war in Ukraine is that the Cold War never ended. German reunification, the Soviet Union’s collapse, new entries in NATO, democratic springs in Poland and Hungary, Ukraine’s independence, the removal of nuclear weapons from eastern Europe, including Ukraine—all these events once augured a new era in Europe.
13 Apr, 2022
Is this the best we can do?
There’s been a lot of “whataboutism” muddying the dialogue around the deeper causes of the cruel and pointless Ukraine invasion.
12 Mar, 2022
Thinking About the Unthinkable in the Ukraine Crisis
We might be inclined to think that the most urgent decisions on Ukraine have been made: decisions on military aid to the Ukraine government, on humanitarian aid to refugees and Ukrainian civilians still in the country, and on support of NATO countries bordering Russia.
9 Mar, 2022
The imperialist roots of Putin’s policy
A key factor that explains Vladimir Putin’s military invasion of Ukraine is traditional Russian imperialism.
4 Mar, 2022
The frailty of peace in the midst of war
The frailty of peace in the midst of war by Robert C. Koehler 857 words Prior to any analysis of...
18 Feb, 2022
Employing Confidence Building Measures in the Ukraine Crisis
Last week a tiny back-page item in the New York Times reported that the president of Ukraine had come to believe that as much as he wants Ukraine to join NATO, it may be just a dream, suggesting a willingness to forego membership.
30 Jan, 2022
Russians
Vladimir Putin is not Russia and he is not “the Russians.” Some say Biden is right in amassing troops in Eastern Europe in support of NATO countries there, pursuant to Russian aggression on the Ukraine border.
21 Jan, 2022
How to Avoid War Over Ukraine
The threat of a major war hangs over eastern Europe. Four different negotiating forums between Russia and NATO on the Ukraine situation have not gone well.