Analysis of Western Foreign Policy Follies Leading to Conflict with Russia

Scott Horton's book, 'Provoked,' critiques Western foreign policy, asserting that NATO expansion and regime-change wars incited Russia's hostility. Horton's research suggests that Western actions, often justified by democracy and humanitarianism, provoked Moscow's reaction. The book highlights broken promises and the arming of extremists, portraying a pattern of Western hypocrisy. While not defending Putin's regime, it examines how Western overreach transformed post-Cold War optimism into nuclear tension. Horton challenges the mainstream view of Russia as the sole cause of global instability, arguing that U.S. and NATO policies worsened conflicts from Chechnya to the Donbas.