I do not want to unduly extend my debate with Jeremy Shapiro and Sam Charap about the trade-off between avoiding a new Cold War and negotiating with Russia over Ukraine. Their most recent blog post, however, misses two key points.
Paying dues
First, the Budapest Memorandum—in which Russia, Britain, and the United States committed to respect Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity and not to use force against Ukraine—regards security assurances, not security guarantees. A security guarantee embodies an obligation on par with what NATO allies have: a commitment to use U.S. military force in their defense. Neither the George W. Bush …read more
Source: Brookings