How the West Brought War to Ukraine: Understanding How U.S. and NATO Policies Led to Crisis, War, and the Risk of Nuclear Catastrophe

According to the mainstream Western narrative, Vladimir Putin is an insatiable, Hitler-like expansionist who invaded Ukraine in an unprovoked land grab. That story is incorrect. In reality, the United States and NATO bear much of the responsibility for the Ukraine crisis. Through a series of misguided policies, Washington and its European allies placed Russia in an untenable situation for which war seemed, to Mr. Putin and his military staff, the only workable solution. In How the West Brought War to Ukraine, author Benjamin Abelow lays out the relevant history and explains how the West needlessly produced conflict, subjecting its own citizens—and the rest of the world—to the risk of nuclear war. Endorsed by leading defense experts and policy analysts, this brief and highly readable book shows how the West provoked the crisis and now labors under an existential threat of its own making. How the West Brought War to Ukraine looks beneath the surface of recent events. It lets readers understand the deeper sources of the Ukraine war and provides new insights into how the conflict might be resolved. ENDORSEMENTS & REVIEWS "Very well-done.... Reviews material that should be much better known." — Noam Chomsky "A brilliant, remarkably concise explanation of the danger that U.S and NATO military involvement in Ukraine has created. Needs to be read and pondered by every citizen capable of thinking rationally and responsibly about American and European security." — Jack F. Matlock, Jr., U.S. Ambassador to the Soviet Union, 1987-1991 "This is a splendid little book, taughtly written, logically organized, easy to read and persuasive but appropriately caveated. It is an invaluable primer on the trends and events that produced the escalating warfare in Ukraine. Without understanding the history documented in this book, there will be no de-escalation of the US-Russian confrontation on Europe's eastern borders. " — Chas Freeman, previously Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs "For anyone interested in understanding the true causes of the disaster in Ukraine, How the West Brought War to Ukraine is required reading. Abelow makes a clear and compelling case that the United States and its NATO allies—not Vladimir Putin—are the principal culprits." — John J. Mearsheimer, The R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago "For those concerned about U.S. national security and the peace of Europe, this book is essential reading." — Colonel Douglas Macgregor (Retired), U.S. Army, served as Director of NATO's Joint Operations Center at SHAPE (Supreme Headquarters of Allied Powers in Europe) "A concise yet comprehensive and accessible overview. Invaluable for understanding how war once again came to Europe." — Richard Sakwa, Professor of Russian and European Politics, University of Kent "Ben Abelow takes us beyond the false narratives and into the truth of the Ukraine crisis." — Krishen Mehta, Senior Global Justice Fellow, Yale University, and Director, American Committee for US-Russia Accord "Any thinking reader who would better understand the myriad of influences on the Ukraine situation needs to read this book." -- Midwest Book Reviews, Reviewed by D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer