In this thoughtful critique, Robert Rabil challenges Jacob Heilbrunn’s optimistic narrative that NATO unity and Western pressure would swiftly defeat Russian ambitions in Ukraine. Rabil agrees that Putin’s invasion miscalculated Kyiv—but he cautions that dismissing Russia’s deep strategic fears of NATO expansion and historical legacy risks escalating Cold War tensions into global instability. By illuminating the complex interplay of history, geography, and Western policy missteps, Rabil invites readers to reconsider the simplicity of framing Ukraine as just another battlefield in a "fight to the finish."