“The Ukraine war is the ultimate test case because it is not merely...
Gokul Sahni@Gokul_Sahni
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Jan 12, 2026
~1 min read
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“The Ukraine war is the ultimate test case because it is not merely a border dispute. It is a referendum on whether conquest is back — openly, unapologetically — in 21st-century geopolitics.” 1/5
Fareed Zakaria@FareedZakaria
The fate of Ukraine will be the big story of 2026.
My latest column:
washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/…
My latest column:
washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/…
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“If Russia is allowed to seize territory by brute force and then, after sufficient destruction, have that seizure ratified through Western pressure on the victim, Ukraine, the lesson will echo far beyond Europe.” 2/5
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“It will be heard in every capital that lives in the shadow of a stronger neighbor — and especially so in an Asia increasingly dominated by China. The rules-based international order will not be abolished with a speech. It will be hollowed out by precedent.” 3/5
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“And if, on the other hand, Ukraine emerges in 2026 with a settlement that is genuinely defensible — one that does not invite a rematch, one that provides long-term security serious enough to unlock reconstruction and investment..” 4/5
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“— then the West will have shown that deterrence is still possible, that alliances still mean something and that rogue powers cannot simply outlast democratic attention spans.” 5/5
