By Invitation | Russia and Ukraine

Sir Adam Roberts rebuffs the view that the West is principally responsible for the crisis in Ukraine

The scholar argues that the expansion of NATO was just one factor among several that led to conflict

WHY IS IT that John Mearsheimer, a distinguished American exponent of international relations, has reached such an apparently perverse conclusion about Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine? It is a “special military operation” indeed—one whose initiation and conduct have been condemned as violating the most fundamental rules and norms. Yet he argued in an article for The Economist’s By Invitation section on March 19th that “the West, and especially America, is principally responsible for the crisis which began in February 2014.”

This article appeared in the By Invitation section of the print edition under the headline “Sir Adam Roberts rebuffs the view that the West is principally responsible for the crisis in Ukraine”

Power play: The new age of energy and security

From the March 26th 2022 edition

Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents

Explore the edition

More from By Invitation

Peter Sands of the Global Fund on the pandemic’s positive legacies

New vaccines got most of the attention but there’s a lot more to celebrate

Reihan Salam

Trumpism is becoming more pragmatic, argues Reihan Salam

But not all of the incoming president’s backers buy it


Time is not on Russia’s side, argues Finland’s foreign minister

Elina Valtonen calls for a lower oil-price cap and tougher measures against Russia’s shadow fleet


Oriana Skylar Mastro makes a case for paring America’s nukes

The political scientist explains why beefing up is bad China strategy

A new Iranian approach to regional security and prosperity, by M. Javad Zarif

Iran’s vice-president on how his country can make the region more secure and prosperous

The EU must be bolder and faster in enlarging, writes Nicu Popescu

A former foreign minister of Moldova on the means and the dividends of speedier accession