Shifrinson Explores Scenarios In Which West Escalates Conflict With Russia
In his latest Foreign Affairs op-ed, Joshua Shifrinson, Associate Professor of International Relations at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, discusses the escalation of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and what confrontation with Western powers may bring for the world.
Shifrinson co-authored the article, titled “How the War in Ukraine Could Get Much Worse,” with Emma Ashford, Senior Fellow in the New American Engagement Initiative at the Atlantic Council and an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Georgetown University. In the article, the two discuss the threat of Russia’s nuclear escalation as well as an overlooked prospect: a conventional military confrontation between Russia and Western powers such as the United States, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and European Union (EU).
Shifrinson and Ashford outline a number of ways the conflict in Ukraine could escalate including a Russian encroachment on a NATO member state or freelancing by regional NATO allies. The two note that concessions might have to be made by the West to avoid a larger confrontation; however, the alternative to alleviating sanctions or reducing military aid to Ukraine could be a conflict global in scale.
The full article can be read on Foreign Affairs‘ website.
Joshua R. Itzkowitz Shifrinson is an Associate Professor at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, where his teaching and research interests focus on the intersection of international security and diplomatic history, particularly the rise and fall of great powers and the origins of grand strategy. His work has appeared with International Security, the Journal of Strategic Studies, Foreign Affairs, and other venues. Read more about Professor Shifrinson on his faculty profile.