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25 September 2024

Every War Must End: And it is Time to End Western Strategic Magical Thinking in Ukraine

M.L.R. Smith & Samir Puri 

The idea of a ‘war without end’ is a common figure of speech, yet, as Fred Iklé’s renowned work states, Every War Must End.[i] War, as Carl von Clausewitz emphasised, is a means to achieve political objectives. For these objectives to be meaningful, they must be attainable within a finite timeframe and pursued at a cost proportional to the desired outcome. Wars may end through outright victory or defeat, with one side surrendering. Alternatively, combatants may come to the rational conclusion that, in the absence of a clear path to victory, it is better to end the conflict.

Nearly three years into the war between Russia and Ukraine, with staggering military and civilian casualties likely numbering in the hundreds of thousands on both sides, it is fair to ask: what is the plan to end this war? While it is not our place as observers to dictate whether Ukrainians should continue their fight for independence, the immense human, material and financial toll justifies Western powers—who have sustained Ukraine’s resistance—raising the question: what is the strategy to end the war on terms that align with Western interests, and benefit Ukraine as well? Is there a plan beyond simply prolonging the war indefinitely, or fighting to the last Ukrainian?


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