, Columnist
Why Ukraine’s Wheat Fields Sow Dictators’ Megalomania
A Q&A with Scott Reynolds Nelson, author of “Oceans of Grain,” on how the region’s rich black earth has darkened and convulsed global history.
Field of dreams.
Photographer: Alexey Druzhinin/AFP via Getty Images
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For centuries, Ukraine has been one of the most productive places on the planet when it comes to growing wheat. Russia has long coveted the country for precisely this reason. As the war-ravaged country enters the planting season, I discussed the roots of the current crisis with historian Scott Reynolds Nelson, my colleague at the University of Georgia and author of “Oceans of Grain: How American Wheat Remade the World.”
Stephen Mihm: How does wheat explain Putin’s obsession with Ukraine?