Collisions: The Origins of the War in Ukraine and the New Global Instability

In this arresting deep dive, historian Kimmage (The Conservative Turn) explores decades of international relations leading up to Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Delineating a tangle of political inactions and missteps by the U.S. and Europe that in his view led to the deadly conflict, Kimmage first contends that Western ambivalence over Vladimir Putin’s earlier aggressions—including his 2008 invasion of Georgia, when he ousted its pro-Western leader, and his backing of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad in that country’s civil war—served to goad rather than becalm the Russian leader. Then, in 2014, after Russia first invaded Ukraine, Kimmage argues that the West “overpromised and underdelivered,” sending mixed messages of support to Kyiv that riled both sides. Kimmage does an admirable job explaining Russia’s justifications for its actions; he somewhat overreaches, however, when arguing the conflict was most directly ignited by Western action—namely President Donald Trump’s promise of “lethal military assistance” to Ukraine, which Kimmage claims dashed any chance that Russia could back down. Also difficult to square is the suggestion that the West should have instead taken Putin’s national security concerns seriously, which runs counter to Kimmage’s description of those concerns as the “marginal” whims of an “eccentric” dictator. By and large, however, the commentary is elucidating and the fine-grained narrative keeps the pages turning. This deserves to be reckoned with. (Mar.)