One year after it began, Russia's invasion of Ukraine has evolved into a grinding war with no end in sight. Worse, the conflict threatens to further draw in other nations as Ukraine's support by the West is matched by a growing Russian alliance with China. The dangerous, fractured world that appears to be emerging might look more familiar to somebody living a century ago than to people raised in the aftermath of the Cold War—with the addition of nuclear weapons, of course.
"In early February, the North Atlantic alliance made a statement with actual demand to Russia, as they put it, to return to the implementation of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, including admission of inspections to our nuclear defense facilities," Russia's President Vladimir Putin announced February 21. "I don't even know what to call this. It is a kind of a theatre of the absurd," he added, pointing to the adversarial nature of NATO's strong support for Ukraine's defensive war against the invading army. "I am compelled to announce today that Russia is suspending its membership in the New START Treaty."
