- You were waiting for part 2, weren't you. www.foreignaffairs.com/united-state.... Here with Sam Charap. Reflections on Istanbul three years on, and whether we have learned anything (the answer is yes).
- With respect, repeating Russian propaganda is not helpful. Russia does *not* worry about NATO except as a barrier to further expansion of a Russian empire. When Finland joined NATO, Russia moved troops *away* from Finland. It's about empire, not security.
- Repeating anyone's propaganda is rarely helpful. It's more useful to see behind propaganda and understand the complexity of underlying motives. Russia has been building up its military infrastructure on the border with Finland (www.wsj.com/world/russia...), likely a response to Finland joining NATO.
- This need not mean that worries about NATO's enlargement was the only reason Russia invaded Ukraine. Other (documentable) reasons include Putin's imperialistic propensities (which is actually a related reason), and the desire to "put Kyiv in its place".May 9, 2025 03:27
- But securing Ukraine's neutrality outside NATO has been a consistent goal throughout for Russia, since at least 2008, so imagining that it's not a goal but some kind of propagandistic ploy won't get us very far in understanding Russia's policies, even if we rightly condemn these policies.
