The Folly of Realism Audiobook By Alexander Vindman cover art

The Folly of Realism

How the West Deceived Itself About Russia and Betrayed Ukraine

Pre-order: Try for $0.00
Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The Folly of Realism

By: Alexander Vindman
Narrated by: Jacques Roy, Alexander Vindman
Pre-order: Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Pre-order for $19.24

Pre-order for $19.24

Confirm pre-order
Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

About this listen

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, six U.S. 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: growing malign influence as a global spoiler and military aggression and full-scale invasion. It was all too foreseeable.

In The Folly of Realism, leading national-security expert and bestselling author Dr. 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 first-hand 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.

©2025 Alexander Vindman (P)2025 PublicAffairs
Diplomacy Russian & Soviet
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

What listeners say about The Folly of Realism

Average customer ratings

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.