Is the West to Blame for Ukraine? with Noah Carl

Moralism and paranoia in American foreign policy, and why war is almost always a terrible idea

Ukrainians training outside Kiev in early February. Source

Reminder: The CSPI Essay Contest deadline is March 31st (Thursday)

This week’s CSPI podcast features a conversation with Noah Carl – an independent researcher, writer, and free speech advocate. Noah invited Richard on his new podcast (which you can find at Noah’s Substack) to discuss whether the West is to blame for the conflict in Ukraine. We’re re-releasing that episode, which originally came out on March 1st. Although much has happened since then, the topics discussed in the conversation remain relevant for understanding the current war and how we got here.

Noah and Richard talk about moralism and paranoia in American foreign policy, the multicausal nature of war, and whether the US is a consistent defender of democracy and human rights globally. They also discuss whether Ukraine could grow economically without integration into the EU, utilitarianism in international relations, what the West should do if Russia won’t negotiate, and why war is almost always a terrible idea.

Click here to listen in podcast form, or watch at the YouTube link below (no live video for this episode).