Russian President Vladimir Putin gave a fiery speech on Sept. 30 declaring that he intends to continue invading Ukraine and that Ukraine and its Western partners were the true instigators of the war. His characterization of himself as an embattled figure against a predatory West is revealing.
While the Biden administration used the new National Security Strategy to reaffirm its commitment to the rules-based order created by the United States after the Second World War, specifically noting that Russia’s actions in Ukraine have “impacted stability everywhere,” Putin’s rejection of the order in the speech shows his resolve to chart a completely different course for Russia’s role in the world moving forward.
The order that Putin recently maligned refers to the collection of international institutions and norms that were developed in the aftermath of the war to prevent further global conflict. The history of the order can be…
