America has become too accustomed to thinking of its side as stymied, ineffective, or incompetent. When I visited Iraq during the 2007 surge, I discovered that the conventional wisdom in Washington usually lagged the view from the field by two to four weeks. Something similar applies today. Analysts and commentators have grudgingly declared that the Russian invasion of Ukraine has been blocked, an
![Why Can’t the West Admit That Ukraine Is Winning?](https://cdn-ak-scissors.b.st-hatena.com/image/square/2a0a59e1b4ac2679c1c1b6c1ead585f624e8d60a/height=288;version=1;width=512/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.theatlantic.com%2Fthumbor%2FDfZgZFdto-bsHi1s1t2vyRL5JNM%3D%2F0x0%3A4545x2367%2F1200x625%2Fmedia%2Fimg%2Fmt%2F2022%2F03%2F2022_03_18T163254Z_125305888_RC205T9CKV1M_RTRMADP_3_UKRAINE_CRISIS_KYIV_DEFENCE%2Foriginal.jpg)