Replay: Alexander Vindman shares Five Things He's Learned about Responding to Russian Aggression and the War in Ukraine
Check out the first five minutes of his recent class.
“This class comes at a critical time in history amid a growing global struggle between democracy and authoritarianism… I’ll explain where we have gone wrong in both the current crisis and across decades of U.S. policy toward Russia and Ukraine since the collapse of the Soviet Union. More importantly, I’ll tell you how we can change course in support of U.S. national security interests, Ukrainian democracy, and the Western liberal order.”
– LTC (Ret.) Alexander Vindman, Five Things I've Learned about Responding to Russian Aggression and the War in Ukraine
Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman was most recently the director for Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Russia on the White House’s National Security Council. Here’s the first five minutes of his 90-minute class in which he shares the Five Things He’s Learned about how the West — and the United States in particular – must navigate this critical time in history, lessons from his years engaging with Russia’s military and political leadership.
Five Things I’ve Learned about Responding to Russian Aggression and the War in Ukraine offers valuable insights and lessons for responding to Russian aggression and the war in Ukraine. Alexander shares his wisdom from over two decades of experience. He talks through the long road to disaster in dealing with Russia, and how we now can best manage hopes and fears by focusing on outcomes rather than aspirations, avoiding self-deterrence, and making risk-informed decisions. He aims to share practical steps for supporting Ukraine and fostering a just, free, and democratic world.
If you’re eager to better understand the conflict in Ukraine, and the obligations America has to resolving this conflict thoughtfully, this class is for you.
Lt. Col. Vindman previously served as the Political-Military Affairs Officer for Russia for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and as an attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, Russia. While on the Joint Staff, he co-authored the National Military Strategy Russia Annex and was the principal author for the Global Campaign for Russia.
He is currently a doctoral student and senior fellow of the Foreign Policy Institute at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), Pritzker Military Fellow at the Lawfare Institute, board member for the Renew Democracy Initiative, senior advisor to VoteVets, and author of the New York Times bestselling memoir, Here, Right Matters.
Thanks for being part of Five Things I’ve Learned on Substack. Visit myfivethings.com to view personal video invitations from more than 100 more writers, thinkers, and artists we admire – and to get special discounted pricing with our Five Things I’ve Learned Multi Pass.