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forward slash Quilett and becoming a monthly patron. By becoming a monthly

patron you'll also receive our weekly newsletter. Welcome to the Quilett podcast. I'm Jonathan a is Schmool Bar, a veteran of the Israeli Intelligence Community, and a visiting fellow at

Stanford University's Hoover Institution. He's also the author of our recently published

Quilett article, Deterrence After Ukraine, which will be the subject of our conversation.

Specifically, we talk about what Russian leader Vladimir Putin wants, how NATO might have tried

to prevent him from getting it, and how the Ukrainian military is getting a big part of the deterrence job done without the West's help.

We also talk about why Putin got the war so wrong, and whether it's a function of this autocrat being lied to by the same lackeys who promised him they could conquer Ukraine in a matter of days.

And what happens now that the war has basically become a stalemate? Will Putin try to tick Donbass, the more Russian

friendly breakaway region in eastern Ukraine, as a sort of consolation prize? Or will the war

grind on for months or even years? These are the questions I asked this week's guest, Schmool Barr.

You're in Israel, we're in this strange geopolitical situation where the Israeli Prime Minister was playing,

maybe still playing some kind of diplomatic role.

How did that emerge?

I think it's rather simple. Putin after invading couldn't summon any senior European leader or American leader come to Moscow and be a mediator.

He couldn't accept anybody who is of a lesser rank to be a mediator.

He of course couldn't go anywhere and Bennett after he being Israeli on good terms with

Zelensky on you know we have our relations with Russia because of Russia is basically our neighbor in the

north Russia has military forces in Syria and we have agreements with Russia which allow us to take out Iranian targets in Syria.

...