Lessons From a Year of War in Ukraine

Those who do not learn from history are condemned to suffer for their failure. On Feb. 24, 2022, Russia escalated its war of aggression against Ukraine with a massive attack, intended to topple the government in Kyiv and permanently place Ukraine under Russian domination. The result has been a year of unrelenting, horrific warfare, including war crimes and crimes against humanity, and widespread suffering for the peoples of both Ukraine and Russia, of the sort that until recently seemed the stuff of grainy historical documentary films. As the conflict enters year two, a perverse, yet powerful logic prolongs it: Russia cannot admit defeat with its goals unachieved, yet Ukraine and its supporters do not want to reward Russian aggression as it occupies Ukrainian land.

With no end to the violence in sight, it remains important to look at the conflict thus far and what can be learned from its progress. Some of these are obvious, for example that war is generally the worst possible way to resolve disputes between nations, but others deserve attention, as we look to end the conflict and reduce the chances that other governments will attempt to use violence to reach their goals.