By Daniel L. Davis
Let’s get this clear right up front: there is one, solitary person who is responsible for the war that is raining down death and destruction on Ukraine today, and that is Vladimir V. Putin, President of Russia.
No one else.
There is another reality at play in this war, however, that is equally true: the West has been grossly irresponsible in its conduct towards Ukraine and is not without culpability in preventing war.
We had numerous, valid offramps – over many years – to temper Putin’s worst impulses towards Kyiv that might reasonably have prevented war from ever breaking out. It is of paramount importance, even in the midst of Russian tanks bearing down on Kyiv, that we acknowledge where we missed opportunities to prevent war, because if we maintain the same blind spots that blocked us from preventing the outbreak of war, we may unwittingly lay the foundation for something much worse: an escalation of hostilities that could expand beyond the Ukrainian borders and, in a catastrophic worst case, end with a nuclear attack.
This piece was originally published in 1945 on March 9, 2022. Read more HERE.