Thinking about Ukraine: Four Options -- Dr. Henry Nau

About the Lecture America can escape “forever” wars, but it cannot escape “forever” debates about American foreign policy. The debate today about Ukraine reflects four time-tested ways of thinking about America’s role in the world. Nationalists urge America to stay out of Ukraine and conflicts in general outside the western hemisphere. Realists, now called Restrainers, envision a “frozen conflict” or status quo outcome that splits the difference between western and Russian/ Chinese interests in Ukraine and Taiwan. Liberal internationalists appeal to diplomacy and the Minsk process to reach a cease fire, demilitarization and gradual settlement of disputes through peaceful processes and institutions. Finally, conservative internationalists address the conflict in ideological terms, authoritarian versus democratic governments, and insist that freedom “wins” in Ukraine and Taiwan through a Cold War process of balancing power and eventual negotiations that tilt toward freedom. About the Speaker Henry R. Nau is an Emeritus Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at George Washington University. He holds a B.S. degree in Economics, Politics and Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from The Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). He taught at Williams College (1971-73) and George Washington University (1973-2019) and as visiting professor at Columbia University, Stanford University and Johns Hopkins SAIS. His books include Conservative Internationalism: Armed Diplomacy Under Jefferson, Polk, Truman, and Reagan (Princeton 2013, paperback with new preface 2015); The Myth of America’s Decline (Oxford 1990, paperback with new preface 1991); At Home Abroad (Cornell 2002); and Perspectives on International Relations (Sage 2021, 7th edition 2021). His latest articles include “Why Reagan Matters,” The National Review, July 10, 2022; “Why Nation-Building is Inevitable,” Providence, August 31, 2021; and “What Trump Gets Right about