Abstract
US centric analysts of the Russo-Ukrainian War largely overlook Russian foreign policy goals and its irredentism. As such many US analysts, from the realist Mearsheimer to the left-leaning Chomsky, distort the historical record by focusing almost exclusively on US motives without a corresponding examination of Moscow’s expansionist agenda. As such, this paper will illustrate how US centric, both realist and radical, advance misleading interpretations of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. These distortions often echo Russian
disinformation, and Putin’s rhetorical strategy to challenge US credibility, such as bemoaning US unilateralism and the unauthorized invasion of Iraq, provide an air of veracity to Moscow’s propaganda. Part of the problem with much of the critical appraisals of US policy in the states is the lack of attention to Russian and Ukrainian sources. This paper will explore the Surkov leaks (hacked emails of the Kremlin’s policymaker for Ukraine), oral history interviews and a survey conducted in Ukraine during the summer 2022 by the author with an aim toward correcting several common misperceptions regarding the Russian invasion. This “balancing,” or enrichment of source material to capture a more complete record, is essential in terms of public diplomacy, particularly given perceptions of US lacking credibility after unilateral wars and the stumbling withdrawal from Afghanistan.