Alastair Kocho-Williams

Smoke rises on April 15, 2022, above 400 new graves in the town of Severodonetsk, Ukraine. Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Russia is being made a pariah state – just like it and the Soviet Union were for most of the last 105 years

The West’s new approach to Russia – bar it from international organizations, restrict international trade, prevent further military moves – looks just like how it treated Russia in the 20th century.
The empty seat for Ukraine’s foreign minister is shown before a NATO foreign ministers meeting on Dec. 1, 2021, in Riga, Latvia. Gints Ivuskans/AFP via Getty Images

What’s NATO, and why does Ukraine want to join?

One of Putin’s demands for de-escalating conflict with Ukraine is NATO blocking Ukrainian membership. Understanding what NATO is, and why Ukraine wants to join, clarifies why Putin wants this.

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