Ukrainian Crisis - Annotated Bibliography Example

Ukraine Crisis The ongoing Ukraine crisis is one of the most significant events that have taken place in the twenty first century and this is not only because of the massive loss of life in that country, but also its leading to a standoff between Russia and the West. This event was sparked when people in Ukraine’s capital Kiev protested their democratically elected president’s decision not to sign a European Union Association Agreement which would have brought the country closer to the European Union. When president Yanukovich, an ally of Russia was ousted, a new government was set up with the intention of leading Ukraine towards the West rather than towards its traditional ally (Buckley and Olearchyk). This resulted in chaos as those individuals supporting this country’s joining the EU and pro-Russian groups, with the support of Russia began violent clashes. Russia became involved in the conflict through its annexation of Crimea, a province of Ukraine, as well as its support for rebels in the eastern regions of the country where pro-Russian sentiment was high (Marples and Duke 263). Russian involvement brought about protests from western countries, mainly NATO and EU countries which believed that Russia had violated the sovereignty of its neighbor. This crisis has created a situation where the relationship between Russia and the West have reached such bad levels that there has developed some speculation that it might lead to a new Cold War. The EU and the United States have imposed numerous sanctions on the Russian economy which, while aimed at curbing Russian behavior has also led to a slowing down of the latter’s economy. This crisis has made it extremely difficult for relations between the local people in Ukraine to return to normal and this has been to such an extent that the eastern regions, mostly rebel-held, have come to declare themselves independent of the Ukrainian government. Furthermore, while the rebels have received almost complete support of Russia, the Ukrainian government, based in Kiev, has been supported by the West, their ideological or political differences being made worse because of foreign actors. It is this situation which may lead one to consider Plato’s Republic, where in Book V, there is debate concerning whether it would not be best for kings to be replaced by philosophers or kings to study philosophy. The Ukraine crisis has come about not because of any serious differences between the opposing sides, but because of the fact that neither side is willing to cede any ground in ensuring that there is peace. Both Russia and the West are determined to ensure that their ideals become supreme in the former Soviet space and this has become so firmly entrenched in the political thinking of these countries that they are unwilling to consider anything else (Legvold 61). If philosophers were to have been at the helm of these countries, they would have foreseen the crisis and taken action to ensure that it was solved before it led to the bloodshed and ethnic divisions that are currently being witnessed. As Plato states in the Republic, that the rule of philosophers is based on justice and because of this, it is not only fair but also leads to equality in the society. This is an issue which must be considered by all involved in the Ukraine crisis. Philosophers are considered to be individuals who have wisdom and who make decisions and take actions which are based on this value. Wisdom is what ensures that individuals, especially leaders, weight their actions carefully before taking them because the consequences of their actions may either be good or bad. In the case of Ukraine, it should be noted that the parties which are involved in the conflict, or to be precise their leaders, namely the government and the rebels, have each become reckless in their actions because of the backing that they enjoy from the West on one hand, and Russia on the other. If neither of these parties did not to receive this support and if they did not believe that they would win through the help of their backers, the crisis would most likely have ended. However, none of the actions taken by any of the actors in the crisis have been made wisely and this has, instead of bringing it to an end, only aggravated the situation. Dialogue, without any preconceived conditions, between all the parties in the conflict has not been given priority and this has been because of the rigid stances taken by each of them. Were the West and Russia led by wise individuals, represented by Plato’s philosopher-kings, the Ukraine crisis would never have occurred and this is because when the EU was making a deal with Ukraine concerning potential membership, it did not consider the legitimate interests of Russia. The latter has deep economic, political, and social ties (Bremmer 261) with Ukraine and any agreements that the EU were to make with it, especially those that involved the economy, should not only have Russian active participation, but also its agreement in order to safeguard Ukrainian, Russian, and EU interests. Had this been done earlier, the crisis would not have taken place because a balance would have been found between these parties that would have ensured safeguarding of their interests through diplomatic means. The Ukraine crisis came about because of conflicting interests of the EU and Russia and it as developed to such an extent that the Ukraine is considered to be the ultimate prize of this confrontation. If this conflict were to be considered through Plato’s philosophical view based on seeking truth and light, it would be concluded that Ukraine and its people are merely pawns in a much larger conflict between Russia on one hand and the West, led by the United States, on the other. In a period where Russia is attempting to recover its lost glory as a world superpower, it is becoming increasingly sensitive over what it perceives as the encroachment of its rival’s military alliance closer to its borders. Therefore, it is essential for the politicians on both sides of the conflict to follow the advice given by Plato and study philosophy because this is the only way that they can be able to develop proper solutions to the Ukraine crisis as well as any other conflicts that they may encounter in future. Works Cited and its Annotation Bremmer, Ian. "The Politics of Ethnicity: Russians in the New Ukraine". Europe-Asia Studies 46.2 (1994): 261–283. This article covers the life of ethnic Russians in post-soviet Ukraine where as well as their political lives in a country where they are for the first time a minority. It shows their voting patterns as well as how they have responded to the government in Kiev since the state was formed in 1991 following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Bremmer shows that during the first three years of the post-soviet Ukrainian state, ethnic Russians were quite receptive of the government with many of them not seeing much of distinctiveness between them and fellow Ukrainians. They were active participants in both local and national politics although candidates who did well among them were largely pro-Russian. Ethnic Russians in the Ukraine had strong family ties with neighboring Ukrainians, living side by side and did not have any major differences between them to make cause any serious frictions in society. This statement has been used in the essay as a means of showing that there were and remain many ties between ethnic Russians and Ukrainians in Ukraine even after the conflict. Buckley, Neil and Olearchyk, Roman. "Yanukovich toppled in new Ukrainian revolution". Financial Times. 22 February 2014. Web. 20 November 2014. Buckley and Olearchyk discuss the ouster of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich after the Maidan protests following his refusal to sign the EU Association Agreement. They discuss the manner through which the protests had lasted for almost four months in a largely peaceful manner until the government chose to use force to disperse it. This article is useful because it provides an overview of the various attempts and agreement brokered by Russia and the EU to bring a solution to the Maidan protests before they became a serious crisis in the country. It concludes with an overview of parliament taking steps to bring about an interim government to create reforms needed for the country to accede to the EU. This article is used because it provides a firsthand account of the events leading to the removal of Yanukovich from power after his fleeing from the country to Russia as well as the loss of power by his Party of Regions in the Ukrainian parliament. Legvold, Robert. Russian Foreign Policy in the Twenty-first Century and the Shadow of the Past. New York: Columbia University Press, 2013. Legvold attempts to create a picture of how modern Russia has formulated its foreign policy in line with its interests. He writes a concise book concerning the development of Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union when many of its citizens bore the brunt of humiliation after the country lost its superpower status. Legvold considers the current foreign policy of this country as being one based on an attempt to rebuild its lost glory as well as increase its global reach in a bid to achieve a multipolar world. He shows that Russia’s resurgence has come about as a result of high oil and gas prices which have ensured that it has the financial clout not only to rebuild its military power, but also to use its soft power especially among former allies during the Soviet Union. Finally, Legvold concludes that while Russia may be able to achieve some of its lost glory, it might not be able to replicate the power that the Soviet Union had. Information from this book was used to show how the Ukraine Crisis is a part of a larger conflict of ideals between the West and Russia. It is suggested that it is a sort of proxy war between these two entities for control over what remains of the post-soviet space. Marples, David R. and Duke, David F. "Ukraine, Russia, and the question of Crimea". Nationalities Papers 23.2 (1995): 261–289. Marples and Duke focus mainly on Crimea and what this territory means to both Russia and Ukraine. They consider the history of this territory since it was brought under Russian control after the defeat of the Crimean Khanate to its modern history where, as a sign of brotherhood, soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev ceded it to Ukraine. Despite that being only a symbolic gesture, since Russia and Ukraine were still part of the same country, it became an issue after the dissolution of the Soviet Union because Crimea retained a majority ethnic Russian population. The authors show that this issue came to be solved through international mediation in the Budapest Memorandum where Russia agreed to respect Ukrainian sovereignty with Crimea remaining an autonomous region within the latter. The result of this agreement was that Crimea remained a part of Ukraine while at the same time being the home of a large population of ethnic Russians. This is an issue which has been revisited in the current crisis through Russia’s recent annexation of Crimea. Plato. The Republic. Trans. B. Jowett. Sue Asscher and David Widger. 2012. Online Book. This book shows Plato’s beliefs concerning the elements of the ideal state and it covers a wide range of issues about it ranging from who should govern to matters of matrimony. Plato either believes that the best form of government would be one which were to be ruled by philosophers or by politicians who were willing to study philosophy since this is the only way through which justice and peace can be achieved in society. He further states that government should be in the hands of those who have advanced understanding and that society must be placed in hierarchies so that individuals are ranked according to what they can do. In matters of achieving equality in society, he declares that the state is the one which should be responsible for raising children and that the latter should not know their parents. Plato believes that this will make them respect all members of society and carry out their duties faithfully because they will assume that they are serving their parents. The idea of philosopher-kings, who rule out of wisdom, is used in the paper as seen through the suggestion that leaders on both sides of the conflict need to solve it through dialogue rather than by armed confrontation. Read More