The former president of the Council on Foreign Relations Richard Haass has become the latest prominent voice to admit that Washington needs a new strategy for Ukraine. In a new article published in Foreign Affairs Nov. 4, Haass starts off saying that, while Ukraine should, in theory, win the war, “it is ultimately unworkable” as it would require direct U.S. involvement and therefore too dangerous.
Haass calls for a “revamped strategy,” writing: “Instead of clinging to an infeasible definition of victory, Washington must grapple with the grim reality of the war and come to terms with a more plausible outcome. It should still define victory as Kyiv remaining sovereign and independent, free to join whatever alliances and associations it wants. But it should jettison the idea that, to win, Kyiv needs to liberate all its land.”
He goes through some of the facts about the situation (despite understating the probable Ukrainian losses) which have already been said and acknowledged by anyone paying attention. Then he points out that, “Many analysts refuse to publicly acknowledge these realities, in part out of fear that doing so would embolden Russia and demoralize Ukraine.”
