The Folly of Realism

“The timing could not be better for the release of Alexander Vindman’s new book The Folly of Realism, which serves as a stark warning against the historically utilised ‘Russia First’ approach in U.S.-Ukrainian relations.”

–Journal on Baltic Security
“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