Verse of the week: “Who has invented our enmity? Who prescribed us/ hatred of each other? Who has armed us against each other/ with the death of the world? Who has appointed me such anger/ that I should desire the burning of your house or the/ destruction of your children?” — Wendell Berry, “To A …
Putin Gives the Mad Man Theory a Try
by | 2022-02-27 | 4 Comments
“Our Father, who art in heavenof the full moonand the hollow sunshield from death my parentswhose house stands in the line of fireand who won’t abandon itlike a tomb”—Lyuba Yakimchuk, “Apricots of Donbas” Vladimir Putin has announced that his nuclear forces are on “high combat” alert. He’s playing the mad man card, threatening the use …
Deterrence in Ukraine
by | 2022-02-24 | No Comments
Russia has invaded Ukraine, and some folks are arguing that Ukraine could’ve deterred Russia “if it had never given up nuclear weapons.” But they never “had” nuclear weapons. Jeffrey and Aaron talk through the control of nuclear weapons in Ukraine during the Cold War, and the “return” of those weapons to Russia after the fall …
Aggressive War, Redux
by | 2022-02-22 | 2 Comments
Note to readers: For those who enjoy reading diplomatic history in general, and the diplomacy of nuclear arms control in particular, check out my magnum opus/door stop, Winning and Losing the Nuclear Peace: The Rise, Demise, and Revival of Arms Control. Quotes of the week: “God created war so that Americans would learn geography.” ― Mark Twain …
