Stephen Webber
As Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues into its third brutal year, and the U.S. government presses for a resolution to the conflict, it is worth taking a step back and considering the lens through which we view the war itself.
“Proxy war” is a term invoked by government officials, analysts, pundits, and scholars to describe the conflict in Ukraine. The label was notably used by Russian President Vladimir Putin in his criticism of U.S. policy as early as December 2022. While Putin was trying to influence American and global audiences by conveying a specific message, the term has long been used in serious analysis and policy discussion, perhaps most often by well-intentioned thinkers seeking to understand and describe the nature of war.
This creates the question: Does this accurately describe the war in Ukraine, and is the term “proxy war” at all useful in the first place?
The answer is no. The term “proxy war” is unhelpful in regards to the Ukraine war specifically, and can lead us astray when thinking about other conflicts as well. It misses the mark in two ways: It deprives the parties involved of their agency, and it oversimplifies the often-complex relationships among all sides. From a practical perspective, these mistakes can translate into ineffective policies with bad outcomes.
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