The Folly of Realism - by Alexander Vindman (Hardcover)

About the Book

"A bestselling national security expert delivers a chilling analysis of how Western indecision and apathy made possible the return of brutal Russian expansionism - with catastrophic consequences. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, U.S. presidential administrations of both parties pursued policies for Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia that boosted Putin's Russia and made U.S. relations with all-important Ukraine secondary to the Russia relationship, thus unwittingly playing into Russia's imperialist, centuries-long myth of its supposed regional hegemony. The result should have been foreseeable: Russia's 2014 invasion of Crimea and 2022 invasion of Ukraine. As leading national-security expert and bestselling author Alexander Vindman argues, this history of U.S. missteps is bound up in policymakers' fixation on immediate, short-term, and transactional thinking. He proposes instead a long-term, values-based approach, where forthright insistence on the fundamentals of liberal democracy and a rules-based world order build positive partnerships while refusing to submit to the emotional blackmail of authoritarians. Enlivened by behind-the scenes interviews with big-name Washington policymakers in four administrations and climaxing in the shocking brutality of Putin's invasion of Ukraine, the book exposes the sources of a dangerously stubborn problem and shows the way to a better world"--

Book Synopsis

An Instant New York Times Bestseller

A chilling analysis of how Western indecision and apathy made possible the return of brutal Russian expansionism with catastrophic consequences - "A must-read for anyone who wants to understand what went wrong and how it can be fixed" (Serhii Plokhy, Harvard University)

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, six US presidential administrations of both parties pursued policies for Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia that emboldened Russia, playing into its imperialist, centuries-long mythos of regional hegemony. The result: military aggression and full-scale invasion. It was all too foreseeable.

In The Folly of Realism, leading national security expert and bestselling author Alexander Vindman argues that America's mistakes in Eastern Europe result from policymakers' fixation on immediate, short-term problem-solving and misplaced hopes and fears. He proposes a new long-term, values-based approach that insists on the fundamentals of liberal democracy and a rules-based world order.

Enlivened by firsthand accounts and behind-the-scenes interviews with leading Washington and international policymakers and culminating in the shocking brutality of Putin's invasions of Ukraine, the book exposes the follies of western foreign policymaking, sources of the dangerous return of Russian imperialism, and proscribes how it can be contained.

Review Quotes

"In The Folly of Realism, Alexander Vindman has written a bracing primer about this catastrophic conflict and its implications for what used to be called the free world... Vindman draws on his extensive knowledge and experience to show that the war Russia is waging against Ukraine isn't just about territorial gains or the global balance of power, as many realists insist. Fundamentally, it is a struggle over belief and historical memory."--Quillette

"Vindman has made his case. Trump, meanwhile, acts like Tony Soprano with nukes."--Guardian

An Instant New York Times Bestseller

"In a carefully laid-out case, Vindman urges that the U.S. take stronger steps to protect Ukraine as a democratic nation with Western values whose very existence repudiates Putin's Russia 'and Putinism itself.'...A persuasive case for rethinking America's guiding foreign policy doctrine in the face of global chaos."

--Kirkus

"Vindman shines. He doesn't simply dispense with the Russocentric visions of previous administrations, but he eviscerates the schools of thought undergirding the 'realism' motivating Bush, the idealism motivating Obama, and the kleptocratic rapaciousness motivating Trump."--Bulwark

"An excellent book."--Rachel Maddow

"Alexander Vindman combines decades of experience in the US military and government with academic insight to explain how successive American administrations misjudged Russia and emboldened the Kremlin to start the largest conventional war in Europe since 1945. A must-read for anyone who wants to understand what went wrong and how it can be fixed."--Serhii Plokhii, author of The Russo-Ukrainian War

"Vindman combines intricate analysis with personal observations...to make a spirited riposte to 'realists' who argue America has no vital interests in Ukraine. It's a penetrating take on American foreign relations."--Publishers Weekly

A Foreign Policy Biggest Foreign Policy Book of 2025

"The Folly of Realism offers a powerful critique of the decades of policies, followed by Democrats and Republicans alike, that failed to defend sovereignty of and democracy in Ukraine. Drawing on his decades of unique experiences working on relations between the United State, Ukraine, and Russia, Vindman writes with clarity and persuasion first in diagnosing past problems and then in suggesting future prescriptions for US foreign policymakers."--Michael McFaul, former US ambassador to Russia

About the Author

Alexander Vindman, lieutenant colonel US Army (retired), was the director for European Affairs on the White House's National Security Council, former Political-Military Affairs Officer for Russia, and diplomat at the American Embassies in Moscow and Kyiv. He is a senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Institute, the author of the New York Times-bestselling memoir Here, Right Matters, and leads the Here Right Matters Foundation organization which focuses on helping Ukraine win the war against Russia. He lives in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.