Alexander J. Motyl: The myth of the West’s threat to Russia
US soldiers stand during a visit of the NATO Secretary General of the air-traffic control center in Karmelava, Lithuania on Nov. 21.
Much Western thinking about the causes of the Russo-Ukrainian War is rooted in a myth. It posits that the West - or, more specifically, NATO - attempted to wrest Ukraine from Russia's sphere of influence, thereby forcing Vladimir Putin to defend Russia's legitimate strategic interests by going to war with Ukraine.
