Tim Boersma | February 4, 2015 | 

In the Belly of the Beast: A European View on Sending Arms to Ukraine

As a European at Brookings, I have a privileged view into the world of American strategic thinking. It is a confusing picture. On most days, I am awe-struck at the depth and subtlety of my American colleagues’ knowledge and ideas. But on some days, I am simply struck at the aggressiveness and solipsism of these ideas. The heralded report titled Preserving Ukraine’s Independence, authored in part by my Brookings colleagues Strobe Talbott and Steven Pifer, is a case in point. In essence, the authors propose that the U.S. government spend $3 billion on weapons to strengthen Ukraine’s defense forces to deter further Russian aggression. http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/up-front/posts/2015/02/04-european-view-sending-arms-to-ukraine?rssid=ukraine