Perspective on Ukraine, With Richard Haass

In this special episode, Why It Matters sits down with CFR President Richard Haass to ask the basic questions about the war in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s frame of mind, and his threat to world order. 

 

Play Button Pause Button
0:00 0:00
x
Host
  • Gabrielle Sierra
    Director, Podcasting
Credits

Asher Ross - Supervising Producer

Markus Zakaria - Audio Producer and Sound Designer

Rafaela Siewert - Associate Podcast Producer

Episode Guests
  • Richard Haass
    President Emeritus, Council on Foreign Relations

Show Notes

Putin’s invasion of Ukraine shocked the world. His brazen brutality prompted tremendous backlash and an international debate about what to do. Simultaneously, Ukraine’s courage inspired and revitalized its Western allies. But as the Russian military intensifies its assault, Ukraine’s future is still unknown.

 

So, how did it come to war? To understand the conflict, Why It Matters Host Gabrielle Sierra turns to CFR President Richard Haass to discuss motivations, misassumptions, nuclear threats, and the potential for a new era of global instability. 

 

 

From CFR 

 

Alina Polyakova and Daniel Fried, “Putin’s Long Game in Ukraine,” Foreign Affairs

 

Charles A. Kupchan, “Why Putin’s War With Ukraine Is a Miscalculation” 

 

David Sacks, “Putin’s Aggression Against Ukraine Deals a Blow to China’s Hopes for Taiwan,” Asia Unbound and Asia Program 

 

Ian Johnson and Kathy Huang, “Why China Is Struggling to Deal With Russia’s War in Ukraine” 

 

James M. Lindsay, “Can President Biden’s State of the Union Address Unify Americans Over Ukraine?,” The Water's Edge 

 

Jonathan Masters and Will Merrow, “How Do the Militaries of Russia and Ukraine Stack Up?” 

 

Jonathan Masters, “Why NATO Has Become a Flash Point With Russia in Ukraine” 

 

Jonathan Masters, “Ukraine: Conflict at the Crossroads of Europe and Russia

 

Max Boot, “Why the U.S. Ramped Up Its Information War With Russia” 

 

Richard Haass, “How the World Can Influence Putin’s Fateful Choices in Ukraine”

 

Richard Haass, “Putin’s Ukraine Quagmire 

 

Thomas Graham, “Has Russia Just Started a Wider War With Ukraine?” 

 

Ukraine’s Struggle for Independence in Russia’s Shadow” 

 

 

From Our Guest

 

Richard Haass, “The West Must Show Putin How Wrong He Is to Choose War,” New York Times

 

 

Read More

 

Chris Buckley, “‘Abrupt Changes’: China Caught in a Bind Over Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine,” New York Times

 

Kori Schake, “Putin Accidentally Revitalized the West’s Liberal Order,” The Atlantic

 

Thomas L. Friedman, “This Is Putin’s War. But America and NATO Aren’t Innocent Bystanders.,” New York Times

 

 

Watch and Listen

 

The Battle for Kyiv,” The Daily, New York Times

 

Crisis in Ukraine,” CFR.org 

 

TPI Special: The War in Ukraine, With Charles A. Kupchan,” The President’s Inbox

 

TWNW Special: Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine,” The World Next Week

 

Ukrainians’ Choice: Fight or Flee?,” The Daily, New York Times

Trade

With allies and adversaries alike impacted by new economic barriers and tariffs, the global map of U.S. trade relationships hangs in question. As the U.S. rethinks its commitments with its trading partners, allies may seek deals elsewhere, even with historic rivals. Can the president single-handedly tear up a trade deal, and what happens when deals that took decades to craft are suddenly up for renegotiation?

Trade

Tariffs have sparked intense debate in Washington, but their consequences land far from Capitol Hill. Tariffs can shape paychecks, shift prices for consumers, and affect markets. At best, tariffs offer short-term protection for certain industries. At worst, they can uproot the lives of American workers. In this episode, Why It Matters looks at what tariffs mean for a U.S. steel manufacturer and small business owner trying to stay afloat.

Trade

Tariffs are often discussed in big, abstract terms—trade wars, economic strategy, global power struggles. But for ginseng farmers in Wisconsin, their effects are painfully personal. In this episode, Why It Matters dives into how tariffs work and how they’re hitting one of America's most niche yet lucrative exports: Wisconsin-grown ginseng.

Top Stories on CFR

Syria

Trump’s decision to lift sanctions on Syria and meet with its new president is a major shift in U.S.-Syria relations, but it may not be an indicator that Syrian refugees should return home any time soon. 

 

United States

The Trump administration’s efforts to nullify birthright citizenship for millions of U.S.-born children could overturn a nearly 160-year legal precedent.