Russia’s war against Ukraine and Europe’s travails aimed at “decoupling” its energy sector from Russian natural gas carry valuable lessons for 21st century power competition between the United States and its adversaries, notably China.

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Most important among those lessons has to do with asymmetric warfare. Despite a smaller, less powerful military, Ukraine is winning. It has capitalized on its strengths, including superior morale, better junior officer corps, and access to Western intelligence and reconnaissance technology. Ukrainians have also been able to identify and press against their opponent’s weakest points — mostly the decaying discipline and poor training in the Russian military.