description: According to the 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 significant 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. This brief book lays out the relevant history and explains how the West needlessly created conflict and now labors under an existential threat of its own making.EXPERT ENDORSEMENTS"Very well-done.... Reviews material that should be much better known."— Noam Chomsky"A brilliant, remarkably concise explanation.... 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."— 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."— 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."— Douglas Macgregor, Colonel (Retired), U.S. Army, served as Director of NATO's Joint Operations Center at SHAPE (Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe)"In the Ukraine proxy war between the United States/NATO and Russia, we face a threat of nuclear escalation that could end human civilization. Abelow's book is essential reading for all who wish to understand this threat and why, 30 years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, it has re-emerged."— Gilbert Doctorow, is an historian and independent Russia specialist based in Brussels"A concise yet comprehensive and accessible overview. Invaluable for understanding how war once again came to Europe. Benjamin Abelow demonstrates that the crisis in Ukraine was predictable, predicted—and avoidable."— 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 AccordPUBLISHED REVIEWSMidwest Book Review"Any thinking reader who would better understand the myriad of influences on the Ukraine situation needs to read this book."-- Reviewed by ​D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review (In Press, Oct. 2022) Foreword Clarion Reviews"Abelow builds a solid argument that the US, Europe, and NATO are complicit in the current violence affecting Ukraine.... How the West Brought War to Ukraine is a succinct, accessible introduction to an often overlooked aspect of the 2022 war in Ukraine."-- Reviewed by Eileen Gonzalez, September 8, 2022 Acura Viewpoint"How the West Brought War to Ukraine will serve as an invaluable primer."-- Reviewed by David Speedie, former chair of the program on cooperative security, Carnegie Corporation of New York, September 1, 2022Mises Wire"It would be a serious mistake to discount Abelow as unduly pro-Russian in his sympathies. The efforts he supports to secure a peaceful settlement by making concessions to Russia are in the best interests of the Ukrainians themselves, even those hostile to Russia."-- Reviewed by David Gordon, Ph.D., August 26, 2022
title: How the West Brought War to Ukraine: Understanding How U.S. and NATO Policies Led to Crisis, War, and the Risk of Nuclear Catastrophe