Russia's war in Ukraine: Discussion with Ambassador Kristjan Prikk, Rose Gottemoeller, Steven Pifer

Russia's unprovoked war against Ukraine has brought about the most serious reassessment of the European security realities since the end of the Cold War. The epic clash of political wills, the magnitude of military operations, and the scale of atrocities against the Ukrainian people are beyond anything Europe has seen since World War II. The past nine months have forced many to reassess what is possible and impossible in international security A.D. 2022. What is this war about, after all? What's at stake in this - to paraphrase former British PM Chamberlain - "quarrel in a faraway country, between people of whom most Americans know nothing?" What should be the lessons for U.S. strategists and policymakers? What are the wider implications for U.S. national security interests, particularly those related to the Indo-Pacific? How has the Alliance supported Ukraine since the war started? What should the end of this war look like and how to get there?
This panel discussion features Ambassador of Estonia to the U.S. Mr. Kristjan Prikk, Rose Gottemoeller (Steven C. Házy Lecturer at Stanford University's Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies and its Center for International Security and Cooperation) and Steven Pifer (Affiliate of the Center for International Security and Cooperation and a non-resident senior fellow with the Brookings Institution).
The panel discussion took place on December 7, 2022 in Cecil H. Green Library, Stanford, CA.

[@richardsimms251]

With all due respects to journalists ( and I do respect them ), I am really happy to listen in detail to scholars. They have deep understand of history. Thank you for these top quality guests. RS. Canada

[@playedout148]

Journalism in the USA has collapsed, replaced by political entertainment. Outrage sells.

[@RitaLimWilby]

The role of the journalist is to give enough to lead you to more considered sources. Some journalists become scholarly, such as Seymour Hersh. Anne Appelbaum and Dan Jones are both historian and journalist. No TV journalists worth following, except the legendary Jon Stewart.

[@nateone9588]

Three people, all agreeing with each other, with the same mainstream promoted point of view.

[@constantquestioning4010]

Delusional neocon fascist BS and utterly hypocritical. Nothing objective factual, truthful or academic. Terrifyingly misguided propaganda The U.S. has orchestrated, provoked the proxy conflict to seek profit and fueling escalation because the openly stated aim is to The woman’s sanctimonious pomposity and the delusional hawkishness of the vitriolic so called professor beggars belief. Disconnected from reality on the ground and obsessively xenophobic towards the world’s largest country. Nothing whatsoever indicates Russia wants to annexe any countries. It wants NATO off its borders and for the US to stop threatening its sovereignty. Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania despise Russia, even though many of its citizens are Russian. The Estonian is pitifully, neurotically anti-Russian and pathetically sold out to the neocon US. Russia will push the US out of Ukraine successfully as it should. The condescension of the panel, its denial of the US’ systematic destabilizing role and illegal genocidal wars across the globe is utterly revolting. The so-called professor should stop flipping the script and lying in his fierce neocon zeal. No one is « falling for or believes » the neocon narrative. 80% of the world’s population abstained from voting against Russia’s need to defend itself from US threats to its borders and sovereignty. The so-called ambassador is neither balanced, diplomatic or very bright. Terrifyingly insular nonsense.

[@obriets]

I’d love to see this conversation expanded to include the Caucasus and Central Asan angle.

[@alcol67]

Strange that Nobody mentioned the Minsk Treaty, the very Reason that triggered the Attack: the neutrality of Ukraine from Nato. Ukraine in the Nato is really an existential threat to Russia, too close to Moscow. Like Russian troops in Cuba. And the "defensive nature" of Nato is a pure narrative, see what happened in Iraq and Afghanistan. Nato has an enormous responsibility in this crisis, pity that nobody in the panel was able to tackle.

[@davidhowse884]

I don't think so. That is a red herring, or at least a smaller factor than some others. See another (Stanford Alumni) KZbin Channel if you wish to consider "The causes and consequences of the Ukraine war", delivered by Michael Mcfaul. He will present counter arguments, including quotes from Putin, plus the assertion that Putin hatesand fears democracy, and it was Ukraine as a potential successful democracy that threatened Russia. Ukraine was not anywhere near joining NATO in 2022, and Putin knew this.

[@James-rl5tj]

Iraq was not a nato operation. Ukraine was not talking about nato until after the illegal annexation of Crimea. Russia started this war before nato was ever in the equation.

[@James-rl5tj]

Not to mention the agreement russia signed garunteeing Ukrainian borders in exchange for ukraine giving up their nukes

[@davidhowse884]

Putin knew NATO was a defensive organisation and for more than a decade worked alongside NATO, even there was the consideration of Russia joining NATO. Ukraine was never in the picture for joining NATO in the short or medium term, and Russia could have had friends enough in Turkey or Hungary to veto membership. NATO was not involved in Iraq, and Afghanistan was in response to 9/11, when Al Qaeda, based in Afghanistan attacked USA, and the world, since nationals of around 80 countries were killed, and the Taliban would not hand over Al Qaeda . Furthermore, for NATO to instigate a war, it requires all members, current 30 to vote for such a war. Not one NATO country or population would want to attack Russia. NATO was a problem for Russia if Russia had aggressive intentions to go to war against its NATO neighbours, that is why they joined, for their future security, and that aggressive intention has turned out to be the case, with its nationalists, eg Aleksandr Dugin (Foundations of Politics 1997) call to recreate the Soviet Union type Eurasian empire..

[@davidhowse884]

@@James-rl5tj Putin changed the course of Russia from rapprochement with the west to adversarial about 5 or 6 years into his presidency. Now the underlying course is to try to rebuild Russia as a superpower, as a Eurasian empire, despite its mediocre economIc performance. In the process, any inconvenient guarantees get torn up.

[@andyabuteo6084]

The lady just admitted that America and NATO have been training Ukraine neonazi azov battalion since 2014.

[@SSNewberry]

War makes strange bedfellows.

[@playedout148]

🤡

[@thomasspitters3592]

This was a greatly interesting talk by these three very erudite and informed people. I had previously missed a lecture by Steven Pifer that this has obviously updated. I am sure that the statement that there are many interests involved in the resolution of the Ukraine war are certain, including economic, political and security interests that leave people pondering what to do no matter the outcome given the overall situation of Russian aggression, any re - definition of the roles of Europe and Eastern Europe in international affairs, and the opportunism of other regimes given the situation in Ukraine and related politics and policy. The approach of the Putin regime appears also to be one of destroying the Western world view of international affairs, again and any Western political structure and aspirations for Eastern Europe and in other places. The literature also shows this was partly the motivation behind the nazis regional and then far - flung militarism and repression, 1939 - 1945. Professor K's comments also are really appreciated insofar as what is telling about the need for the Kremlin to continue this "conquest" and the risks of the Putin people at the very least being hounded from office if they are not successful in the war.

[@johnm7267]

Putin has laid out why he went to war because of an existential threat to Russia the same as if Russia put missiles in Cuba is an existential threat to America. All this speculation and reading of his mind about him invading Europe is to frighten people. Russian military is not strong enough to invade Europe

[@tomaszelba4459]

politicians not yet tired of this same talk? all politicians say same words and with faces they thinking

[@mickelodiansurname9578]

Is that really the Estonian ambassadors name? You gotta be joking right?

[@charliedoyle7824]

Don't be a prik man 🤨

[@p.h.3987]

If you want to see a joke, look into the mirror.

[@troelspeterroland6998]

Other languages have different words.

[@RitaLimWilby]

Some English words in other languages are hilarious. Don’t get distracted by superficiality. Stay with the substance of what is at stake.

[@Wombatan]

The argument that the US should care about Ukraine because the former benefits from rule-based order hardly sounds compelling. The US could admit Ukraine to be a part of Russian interest sphere, so Russian hadn't been forced to break "rules" neither in 2014, nor in 2022.

[@constantquestioning4010]

Entirely agree.

[@laurenth7187]

What we should do about it, and what is a stake ? What is as stake is that we could have one single super-power in the world, the USA. And that we don't wan't, so Ukraine should stop that war. We don't want a single super-power in the world because it's contrary to our principles of multi-power, and balanced power inside our democracies, for example the Congress vs the President. The 2 are separated powers, and then you have the Supreme Court, etc. So in our democracies the power is managed a divided between instances, but here we are aiming toward a Single super-power, by destroying Russia. This is the opposite of our democratic principles, everyone can refer to Montesquieu about it. And then, war is against our foundations as a civilization based on dialogue, since Plato. So this war is a crime, and continuing it is hell. We are guilty to have provoked it, forgetting ourselves and what we are. At the beginning was the Word, says the Scripture.

[@andyabuteo6084]

The end game is going to be a negotiation which Ukraine will most likely lose territory apart from Ukraine. To expect Ukraine to regain every inch of its territory, including crimea is just absolute fallacy. Crimea is not going to be taken back as crimeans majority would protect their autonomy which they already enjoyed under Russia. Besides they are majority Russian speakers which the zelensky regime has systematically repressed for years.

[@lettucesalad3560]

Give Crimea back to the Tatrtars...no more Russian genocides

[@andyabuteo6084]

@@lettucesalad3560 Tartars seem content since 2014.

[@lettucesalad3560]

@@andyabuteo6084 I bet you think Putin has a great butt for kissing.

[@andyabuteo6084]

@@lettucesalad3560 lol...frustration and anger????.....Face realistic facts and stop fantasizing 😂

[@lettucesalad3560]

@@andyabuteo6084 What facts? How are the Crimean Tartars happy about being genocided? You're a disgrace to human beings everywhere.

[@barcode6495]

Thank you for recignizing Trump. Trump 2024

[@playedout148]

🤡

[@joshuapaul2022]

The war is lost by Ukraine. It's all over but the shouting. Erratic Zelenskyy reminds Hitler in 1945. In Bakmut Ukraine lost high ground in the area and there is a high risk of encirclement. According to Ukrainian sources Russians have overwhelming advantage in artillery 1:9 on this front. 85% of Ukrainian soldiers are killed even without seeing the enemy. Ukrainian command has to resort to mass summary executions to prevent unauthorized retreat or surrender. There is no military sense to hold on to it, but due to political reasons Ukraine is constantly throwing poorly trained additional reserves into this meatgrinder. It's all reminiscent of suicidal Hitler's tactics in 1945.

[@charliedoyle7824]

Substitute Russia in for Ukraine and you would actually be making sense.

[@wlhjr77]

Your stupid rant sounds like russian propaganda - maybe you should take your non-sense somewhere where a brain-washed audience would be more receptive to a russian narrative...

[@stefanb6539]

Your marbles are definitely lost. Russia lost 50% of the area it held in Ukraine by March, and has been sending Wagner mercs and convicts to die in Bakhmut for 3 months now, without gaining ground.

[@johnmack5024]

Ever been nice to see 'em live, fight and die in the name of the almighty dollar.

[@neddyladdy]

Maybe no one told the soldiers that hey have won or lost, whatever the case might be. 10 days later.