Thomas Graham’s piece makes provocative assertions about the Russian political history and strong assertions about EU-Russia relations with minimal evidence. Graham argues that Europe’s challenge is with Russia’s political system, not President Putin. He argues that this issue started nearly 200 years ago, with the divergent political pursuit of Western Europe and Russia. He asserts that Europe’s main issue is security in the midst of a “powerful nation”. The author provides reasons for Putin’s actions, citing Russia’s generational strategy to improve its regional influence as the source. The strengths of the article lie in his explanations for his policy recommendations. Graham declares that the west must help stabilize the Ukrainian economy.
