Eitan Dan

In a lecture delivered to the Australian Institute of International Affairs (NSW), Tom Switzer, executive director of the Centre for Independent Studies, argues that the Kremlin’s decision to invade Ukraine has been primarily driven by the threat of NATO’s expansion along Russia’s border. Its strategic objective is to annex some Ukrainian territory and badly weaken the country so it cannot join NATO. He argues that since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, various officials and experts have dismissed any links between the crisis and NATO expansion, attributing it solely to Vladimir Putin's imperial ambitions. However, the Kremlin's actions are primarily driven by the threat of NATO’s encroachment on Russia’s borders, a concern anticipated decades ago. In the 1990s, numerous military and foreign-policy experts warned that NATO expansion would provoke Russian aggression, creating the very danger it aimed to prevent. Prominent figures, including George Kennan and senior defense officials, voiced strong objections, predicting that NATO's eastward expansion would escalate East-West tensions and weaken European stability. Despite these warnings, NATO expanded, and Russia responded predictably. Today’s critics of NATO expansion, like John Mearsheimer and Jeffrey Sachs, face contempt, a stark contrast to the respectful discourse of the 1990s. The ongoing Ukraine conflict underscores the accuracy of those early warnings, highlighting a failure to heed historical lessons. https://lnkd.in/guKxc6jD #NATOExpansion #UkraineConflict #GeopoliticalTensions

In a lecture delivered to the Australian Institute of International Affairs (NSW), Tom Switzer, executive director of the Centre for Independent Studies, argues that the Kremlin’s decision to invade Ukraine has been primarily driven by the threat of NATO’s expansion along Russia’s border. Its strategic objective is to annex some Ukrainian territory and badly weaken the country so it cannot join NATO. He argues that since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, various officials and experts have dismissed any links between the crisis and NATO expansion, attributing it solely to Vladimir Putin's imperial ambitions. However, the Kremlin's actions are primarily driven by the threat of NATO’s encroachment on Russia’s borders, a concern anticipated decades ago. In the 1990s, numerous military and foreign-policy experts warned that NATO expansion would provoke Russian aggression, creating the very danger it aimed to prevent. Prominent figures, including George Kennan and senior defense officials, voiced strong objections, predicting that NATO's eastward expansion would escalate East-West tensions and weaken European stability. Despite these warnings, NATO expanded, and Russia responded predictably. Today’s critics of NATO expansion, like John Mearsheimer and Jeffrey Sachs, face contempt, a stark contrast to the respectful discourse of the 1990s. The ongoing Ukraine conflict underscores the accuracy of those early warnings, highlighting a failure to heed historical lessons. https://lnkd.in/guKxc6jD #NATOExpansion #UkraineConflict #GeopoliticalTensions

In a lecture delivered to the Australian Institute of International Affairs (NSW), Tom Switzer, executive director of the Centre for Independent Studies, argues that the Kremlin’s decision to invade Ukraine has been primarily driven by the threat of NATO’s expansion along Russia’s border. Its strategic objective is to annex some Ukrainian territory and badly weaken the country so it cannot join NATO. He argues that since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, various officials and experts have dismissed any links between the crisis and NATO expansion, attributing it solely to Vladimir Putin's imperial ambitions. However, the Kremlin's actions are primarily driven by the threat of NATO’s encroachment on Russia’s borders, a concern anticipated decades ago. In the 1990s, numerous military and foreign-policy experts warned that NATO expansion would provoke Russian aggression, creating the very danger it aimed to prevent. Prominent figures, including George Kennan and senior defense officials, voiced strong objections, predicting that NATO's eastward expansion would escalate East-West tensions and weaken European stability. Despite these warnings, NATO expanded, and Russia responded predictably. Today’s critics of NATO expansion, like John Mearsheimer and Jeffrey Sachs, face contempt, a stark contrast to the respectful discourse of the 1990s. The ongoing Ukraine conflict underscores the accuracy of those early warnings, highlighting a failure to heed historical lessons. https://lnkd.in/gTB6rSpN #NATOExpansion #UkraineConflict #GeopoliticalTensions