Hubris

The American Origins of Russia's War Against Ukraine

By: Jonathan Haslam

Narrated by: Jonathan Haslam

A leading expert on US-Russian relations reveals how the United States and its European allies set the course for the war in Ukraine—and offers a sobering indictment of American foreign policy since the fall of the Soviet Union.

Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 should not have taken the world by surprise. The attack escalated a war that began in 2014 with the Russian annexation of Crimea, but its origins are visible as far back as the aftermath of the Cold War, when newly independent Ukraine moved to the center of tense negotiations between Russia and the West. The United States was a leading player in this drama. In fact, Jonathan Haslam argues, it was decades of US foreign policy missteps and miscalculations, unchecked and often reinforced by European allies, that laid the groundwork for the current war.

Timely and incisive, Hubris reveals the assumptions, equivocations, and grievances that have defined the West's relations with Russia since the twilight of the Soviet Union—and ensured that collision was only a matter of time.

©2024 Jonathan Haslam (P)2024 Bloomsbury Publishing

Pertinent history that should be understood by all.

Confused about Ukraine war? This is a must read. It clearly outlines the missteps made by Americans and Europeans that got us here. Unlike misinformation from mainstream media of both USA and Russia - this is unbiased facts that are easily confirmed.

Ukraine War: perhaps THE best, most essential analysis

This book spares no one because all sides, except the Ukrainian populace, perhaps, is culpable for this unnecessary tragedy.

I've listened to a number of books, especially Timothy Snyder's works but also several others. I have watched many YouTube videos from Snyder to Sachs to Friedman and many, many others. This Haslam book, however, cuts deep to the absolute bone and reveals a deeply honest and critical viewpoint on matters from the Gorbachev period to 2025.

Also, it is so fascinating as to be highly readable.

Ignore to your loss and at everyone's peril.

Full of info, with dubious conclusions

The author can hardly be accused of being unbiased. However, he does a good job of reviewing the relevant political histories that have led to the current conflict in Ukraine. His blatantly anti-Putin sentiments, however, lead to some very seriously flawed assessments. in the end, he concludes that the SMO will lead to the collapse of the Putin presidency. Given the status of military events on the ground in August 2025, the author's conclusions look more like wishful thinking. Time will sort out how this conflict ultimately ends. That said, this book is full of detailed reminders of how the world got into this mess, and how it all might've been avoided.