First of all, I'd would like to wish you all a belated Happy Thanksgiving! Thank you for being a part of this community!
I know many of you have been asking for my thoughts on the recent peace initiative for the war in Ukraine. Well, I have a surprise for you! I've been working hard on a video to address this very topic, and it's one of my quickest productions yet:
Why does Russia keep fighting a war it can’t afford, can’t win quickly, and can’t seem to step away from? People ask me this almost every week - and the real answer has nothing to do with military strategy. It has everything to do with the fear of losing power.
Today, we’re going to peel back the layers of Russia’s political mind. Not the propaganda story, but the inner logic of a system that is more afraid of peace than of defeat.
Here’s where we’re going:
Why negotiations are impossible right now — for both sides.
What the Kremlin truly wants — and why “conquering Ukraine” is not actually the point.
Why ordinary Russians once cheered this war — and why that support is quietly eroding.Why Russia’s elites stay silent, even as the system eats their future.
Let’s begin.
Text version
P.S.
If you love the mix of history, geopolitics, and psychology in my videos, you’ll adore this: I just fell headfirst into a series on The Great Courses Plus that is so good it stole my entire week.
“The Decisive Battles of World History” by Professor Gregory Aldrete is vivid, smart, and utterly absorbing - from Yarmouk to Stalingrad to the overlooked but pivotal Khalkhin Gol.
And right now there’s a Black Friday deal: $1.99 per month for 2 months (Today is the last day). If you’ve ever been curious to try The Great Courses, this is the moment, and using my link supports the channel at no extra cost:
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