Thanks to NetGalley and Head of Zeus Audiobooks for the Audio ARC!

Hubris is a terrific look at long-ago, but still influential events that led to the eventual invasion of Ukraine by Vladimir Putin and Russia. This book details a lot of the failings of the world governments in the 90s and early 2000s that led to Putin seizing power. I learned a lot about the ways that UN and NATO policies led to the invasion of Ukraine. Very timely read, and very relevant to current world events.

I found this a fascinating and informative book about events that I have only a very general understanding of. The book covers the period from the fall of the Soviet Union to the current Russian invasion of Ukraine, and delves into the international relationships, attitudes, and actions that affected Russia's approach to the West. Much of this looks at how US foreign policy towards what it now saw as unimportant versus it's position in Europe and the Middle East, the push east of post Warsaw pact nations to become members of both the EU and Nato, and ultimately the nature of Putin and his regime. There is a lot here and I felt the author managed it well and had an accessible style that made it easy enough to follow. I was left with a much better understanding not just of how we got here with the war in Ukraine but also of recent European political history. Comprehensive and very readable, I did enjoy this.