Washington is obsessed with reading tea leaves — on politics, policy, social cues, and diplomatic dances. And so is the case with the much anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive this spring. Will it happen? If so, would it change the course of the war? Does Russia have the juice not only to repel it but to launch its own successful bid for more territory? We talk again to Anatol Lieven, former war correspondent, author, and Eurasia expert at the Quincy Institute about what he thinks, given his recent travels to Ukraine just a month ago.
In the first segment, Kelley and Daniel talk about Biden's diplomatic strong-arming of our Asian allies in South Korea and the Philippines, as the leaders of both countries came to Washington in the last week to forge military ties amid the administration's continuing effort to "confront" the Chinese "threat" in the South China Sea.
More from Anatol Lieven:
The Rise and Role of Ukrainian Ethnic Nationalism, The Nation, 4/17/23
Crimea Has Become a Frankenstein’s Monster, Foreign Policy, 4/11/23
Pentagon leak reinforces what we already know: US-NATO in it to win, Responsible Statecraft, 4/10/23
What about that coming counteroffensive in Ukraine? We ask Anatol Lieven