The Russia Trap

After years of unsuccessful post-Cold War efforts to forge a cooperative relationship, it is now clear that the U.S. and Russia have become competitors, not partners - no matter what some politicians would have the American public believe. And this competition is quickly spiraling into enmity thanks to new strategic weapons, shifts in world power, and unsettled regional conflicts. Meanwhile, the rules that kept the Cold War from getting hot no longer apply. The inherent advantages of cyber attackers over cyber defense are incentivising aggression and fueling feelings of vulnerability. And the arms control regimes and deterrence strategies that once contained dangers are ironically stoking mistrust between the U.S. and Russia. Americans don't worry about nuclear war the way they did thirty years ago. But they should because the danger has become even greater today. Beebe's terrifying but essential new work allows us to face this reality - and, in doing so, to take steps to divert the world from this path.