The Russian invasion of Ukraine has settled into an interminable and bloody war of attrition. Even as the consequences of the war, including the disruption of the global food supply that could starve countless poor people, ripples forward, political attention to the conflict has faded. Still, the war presents real dilemmas for the left, especially on the question of how to balance the need to thwart a brutal violation of international norms with the equally urgent necessity of bringing an end to the conflict. Many on the left remain divided on the right balance to seek.

Matt Duss, foreign policy adviser to Senator Bernie Sanders, wrote an analysis of why Ukraine matters to the left for The New Republic. I talked to him about the state of the war and the prospects for peace.

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