Serhii Plokhy clearly writes from a Ukrainian perspective, but at no point does he allow his bias to interfere with an extensive and compelling documentation, filled with transcripts and official documents from both the Soviet and American sides—documents involving actors who transitioned from the final days of the Soviet Union to the formation of the new Russian Federation.

I discovered this book through a Lex Fridman podcast, where the author gives a review of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, explaining in rich detail the events experienced between both nations. I won’t say that what’s happening in this region is easy to understand, and yet, after reading this book, I have no doubt that all of this was foreseeable.

Here are some things I’ve learned from the book—without giving away spoilers or going too deep:

Contrary to popular belief and Reagan’s lofty slogans about the Evil Empire, the advisers of President George H. W. Bush—except for Dick Cheney and his inner circle—were against the dissolution and extinction of the Soviet Union. There were two simple reasons: nuclear power and nationalism.

Over the years, the USSR produced tons of nuclear arsenal, and if the country were to dissolve, advisers on both sides predicted a “nuclear Yugoslavia,” referring to the imminent conflicts in that region. The other reason was strategic: it’s easier to deal with one large country than with many separate republics sharing similar ethnic backgrounds. After reading this book, the Balkan Wars seem even more closely tied to the consequences of the Soviet breakup. You’ll draw your own conclusions when you read it.

In some movie I once heard the phrase, The war doesn’t end until both sides declare it over; while it’s true that Gorbachev resigned on December 25 and made way for the Russian Federation, he never officially ended the geopolitical maneuvers. Meanwhile, George Bush gave a speech declaring that they had “won the Cold War.”

Anyway. Have you read anything similar to this?