John Heilemann and John Avlon discuss the enormous humanitarian and geopolitical stakes of the crisis in Ukraine. They question whether President Biden is right to predict that President Vladimir Putin’s invasion will leave “Russia weaker and the rest of the world stronger,” and how Russia’s invasion could alter the global fight between tyranny and freedom and the recent decline in democracy around the world. They also consider how much further Putin with his full embrace of supervillain status is willing to escalate, namely whether he would turn to chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons. Tune into hear about Avlon’s new book, Lincoln and the Fight for Peace, where they discuss Lincoln’s view that to win the Civil War would require also winning the peace through reconciliation and reuniting the nation — a plan foiled by his assassination — and the lessons his approach holds for presidential leadership, especially in times of extreme polarization.
