WORLD ROUNDUPThe Realist Guide to World Peace | No One Would Win a Long War in Ukraine | India and China’s Latest Border Clash Is Not a One-Off, and more
··The Realist Guide to World Peace
You don’t have to be an idealist to want to put an end to war
··For ‘Peace Activists,’ War Is About America, Never Russia
Western support for Ukraine has invited hostility on both fringes of the political spectrum
··No One Would Win a Long War in Ukraine
The West must avoid the mistakes of World War I
··What Does the Cryptocurrency Decline Mean for Bitcoin Countries?
As cryptocurrency valuations sink, legal tender designations have fallen short of their goals
··Argentina Identifies 131st Baby Taken During Dictatorship
Shedding light on a particularly dark side of the Argentinian junta
··How Would a Chinese Invasion of Taiwan Play Out?
War-gamers plan for Taiwan’s D-Day
··India and China’s Latest Border Clash Is Not a One-Off
The 9 December clash between hundreds of Indian and Chinese soldiers was only the latest in a series of clashes
The Realist Guide to World Peace (Stephen M. Walt, Foreign Policy)
Realism’s central lesson is that in a world of independent countries without a central authority, the ever-present possibility of war casts a shadow over much of what states do. Because warfare is inherently destructive and often uncertain, realists tend to be wary of idealistic crusades and mindful of the danger of threatening what others regard—justifiably or not—as vital interests. Instead, realists of all stripes emphasize the tragic features of a world in which leaders are easily misled by poor information or their own delusions, where even noble aims can produce regrettable results.
But neither realists nor their critics can simply throw up their hands and declare there is nothing to be done about the possibility of serious conflict. War between and within states may be a constant danger, but the real challenge is to devise and implement policies that will minimize the risks of new wars and help bring existing ones to an end. Because the benefits of peace and the costs and risks of war have never been greater, this imperative may be more urgent today than at any time in human history.
For ‘Peace Activists,’ War Is About America, Never Russia (Alexey Kovalev, Foreign Policy)
Their own hard-left worldview is so absorbing that they will take the side of any aggressor in the anti-Western camp.
No One Would Win a Long War in Ukraine (Vladislav Zubok, Foreign Affairs)
In November 2022, General Mark Milley, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, sent shock waves through Western capitals when he declared that the war in Ukraine is unwinnable by purely military means. Milley suggested that Ukraine is now in a position of strength and that this winter might be the moment to consider peace talks with Russia. He also recalled World War I, when the adversaries’ refusal to negotiate led to millions of additional deaths, suggesting that failure to “seize” the moment could lead to greatly more human suffering. His remarks challenged not only the position of Kyiv but also that of many of its Western backers, including Poland, the Baltics, North America, and the United Kingdom, which have endorsed Ukraine’s pursuit of complete military victory. (Cont.)
