OUR PICKS: UKRAINE CRISIS Why Putin invaded Ukraine | Sleepwalking into War in Ukraine | Biden’s Inner Realist, and more

‘Can Russia Actually Control the Entire Landmass of Ukraine?’  (Prashant Rao, The Atlantic)
A conversation with David Petraeus on what the American experience in Iraq means for Russia’s conflict with Ukraine.

Why Putin invaded Ukraine  (Bruno Maçães, New Statesman)
The Russian president is trying to create a new geopolitical order, with him at the top.

Vlad the Invader: Putin Is Looking to Rebuild Russia’s Empire  (Niall Ferguson, The Spectator)
What exactly is Putin trying to achieve? This question has elicited many wrong answers over the years. A common assertion is that he is hellbent on resurrecting the Soviet Union. It is true that in 2005 Putin called the collapse of the Soviet empire ‘the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the century’. But in fact it is the tsarist Russian Empire Putin is attempting to bring back from the dead. Peter the Great is his hero, much more than Stalin.

With Putin, Biden Should Channel His Inner Realist  (Stephen Wertheim, Foreign Policy)
A contest of ideas is hobbling U.S. policy in the standoff over Ukraine.

The West Is Sleepwalking into War in Ukraine  (Stephen M. Walt, Foreign Policy)
It’s not easy to make sense of how the United States and Europe are responding to Russia’s aggression.

Russia Deploys Mobile Crematoriums to Follow Its Troops into Battle  (Dominic Nicholls, The Telegraph)
Ben Wallace, the U.K. Defense Secretary, suggests the vehicle-mounted incinerators will be used to hide evidence of battlefield casualties.

Ukraine Calls on Hacker Underground to Defend against Russia  (Joel Schectman and Christopher Bing, Reuters)
The government of Ukraine is asking for volunteers from the country’s hacker underground to help protect critical infrastructure and conduct cyber spying missions against Russian troops, according two people involved in the project.

Putin: We Target America’s “Empire of Lies” (New York Times)
Putin made clear his target goes beyond his neighbor to America’s “empire of lies,” and he threatened “consequences you have never faced in your history” for “anyone who tries to interfere with us.” In a rambling speech early Feb. 24, full of festering historical grievances and accusations of a relentless Western plot against his country, Mr. Putin reminded the world that Russia “remains one of the most powerful nuclear states” with “a certain advantage in several cutting edge weapons.”

Why the Last War May Have Triggered This One  (By Michael Hirsh, Foreign Policy)
After World War II, Japan and Germany became enduring U.S. allies. Why didn’t the Cold War end the same way?

The Ukraine Crisis, COVID-19, and Global Health  (David P. Fidler. Think Global Health)
The Russian threat to Ukraine has nothing to do with the pandemic, but the situation has implications for global health.