Stephen Blank
Washington’s continuing inability or refusal to formulate let alone execute a winning strategy in Ukraine impedes Kyiv’s efforts to do so and risks achieving defeat despite Russia’s abysmal strategic leadership. Yet Washington continues to pressure Ukraine to declare a negotiation program and endgame even while denying it the means of defense let alone victory, arguably the sole possible acceptable ending for this war. Therefore this essay aims to redress this strategic malfeasance by postulating the elements of a victorious Ukrainian and Western (not only American) strategy for this war.
First the objective cannot be “as long as it takes” which has long since become an outdated, empty slogan. Rather we must aim at a Ukrainian victory since, despite foreign mediatory initiatives, Putin cannot negotiate and stay in power. Likewise, Ukrainian public opinion will not negotiate under Russian occupation. Victory entails restoring Ukraine’s full territorial integrity, complete sovereignty, including the right to join the EU and NATO, and if possible, war crimes trials and reparations. To achieve these goals both Kyiv and the West must formulate and implement a strategy employing the canonical instruments of U.S. power embodied in the U.S. military’s DIME: diplomatic, informational, military, and economic power.
No comments:
Post a Comment