While it is tempting to view the war in Ukraine as a metaphor for some larger struggle between a tolerant West and an intolerant East, the reality is inevitably far more complex.
The West’s new approach to Russia – bar it from international organizations, restrict international trade, prevent further military moves – looks just like how it treated Russia in the 20th century.
Russian President Vladimir Putin arrives to deliver a speech at the Kremlin in Moscow, April 26, 2022.
(AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
‘Vlad the mad’ psychological analyses don’t help us understand Russia’s war. Historians gain insights by examining the enabling and determining factors behind why conflicts erupt.
A Russian military intercontinental ballistic missile launcher rolls by during the 2019 Victory Day military parade celebrating the end of the Second World War in Red Square in Moscow in May 2019.
(AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
The sort of scenarios that might lead to the use of nuclear weapons in the Ukraine war would require a significant deterioration in Russian fortunes — and greater western involvement in the conflict.
The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, attends a flower-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier close to the Kremlin.
EPA-EFE/Anton Novoderekhkin/Kremlin pool/Sputnik
Western officials say that Russia may officially declare war on Ukraine on May 9. An international relations expert explains why this day is significant, and why a war declaration would matter.
Be prepared: Nato Saber Strike 22exercises in Estonia, April 2022.
EPA-EFE/Valda Kalnina
The post-cold war peace dividend has been spent. The west must prepare to allocate more funds for defence budgets.
Vladimir Putin watchers the launch of Russia’s latest ICBM via video link in his office in the Kremlin.
EPA-EFE/Mikhail Klimentyev/Kremlin pool/Sputnik
Politics have never been that far away from the Eurovision Song Contest. Since its inception, the annual event has reflected the political culture and geopolitical realities of Europe.
The US has frozen tens of billions of dollars worth of assets belonging to Russians and their government. A legal scholar explains why confiscating them is a bit trickier.
Online campaigns in Vietnam are falsely maligning Ukrainians and discrediting the legitimacy of international organizations. It’s all at odds with the aims of the Vietnamese government.