NEWS HIGHLIGHT
Theme : International Relations
Paper:GS-2
Ukraine’s bid for NATO membership and Russian interests in the Black Sea accompanied by the protests in the Ukraine are the major causes of the ongoing conflict.
TABLE OF CONTENT
- Context
- What is the Conflict
- Putin’s Strategy
- Signs of the passing of American unilateralism
- Recent steps taken by the US
- China’s takeaway from the war
- Road Ahead
Context : The military flare-up between Russia and Ukraine dates back to 2014.
What is the Conflict :
- Contesting the Post-Cold War central European territoriality and resurrecting Russian past is at the core of the Ukraine crisis.
- They share hundreds of years of cultural, linguistic and familial links.
- Ukraine’s bid for NATO membership and Russian interests in the Black Sea accompanied by the protests in the Ukraine are the major causes of the ongoing conflict.
Putin’s Strategy :
- Before the war: He created an aura of power around himself and Russia.
- He disrupted Georgia’s ambition to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
- Made forays into West Asia neutralizing Israel and Turkey(both American allies)
- Took Crimea without a fight
- Energy superpower: Turned Russia into an energy superpower.
Signs of the passing of American unilateralism :
- America’s wars in the Muslim world did not proceed as the US had expected.
- The U.S. got stuck in Afghanistan and Iraq: Russia became more aggressive, Iran more defiant, and China more powerful.
- Russia’s intervention in Georgia and its annexation of Crimea
- Iran’s growing militancy in West Asia
- America’s defeat in Afghanistan
Recent steps taken by the US :
- Alliances: It has taken pains to keep the Western alliance together.
- It wants a coalition of democracies against dictatorships.
- It admits that the ‘rules-based order’ (American-centric world) faces systemic challenges from Russia and China.
- Conflict: It doesn’t want a direct conflict with Russia.
China’s takeaway from the war :
- Shift in Washington’s policy of ‘strategic ambiguity’: The US’s claim of defending Taiwan in the event of an attack from China.
- Defeating Russia in Ukraine would discourage China from making any adventurous move towards Taiwan.
- The U.S. strove to exploit the divisions between the Soviet Union and China to prevent the formation of a strong Eurasian alliance.
- China would like the U.S. being distracted in Europe while it strengthens its ties with Russia and spreads its influence elsewhere.
Road Ahead :
- The Ukraine war tells us about the limitations of great powers in shaping the outcome of conflicts with smaller ones.
- The U.S. intervention in Vietnam, its invasion of Afghanistan, and the Soviet intervention in Afghanistan are some of the best examples of great powers getting stuck in smaller theaters.
- Miscalculating the power of Ukrainian nationalism and the resolve of the West, which Russia thought was weakened by internal divisions and external setbacks.
FAQs :
-
What is the Conflict?
ANS.
- Contesting the Post-Cold War central European territoriality and resurrecting Russian past is at the core of the Ukraine crisis.
- They share hundreds of years of cultural, linguistic and familial links.
- Ukraine’s bid for NATO membership and Russian interests in the Black Sea accompanied by the protests in the Ukraine are the major causes of the ongoing conflict.
-
What can be China’s Takeaway from the War?
ANS.
- Shift in Washington’s policy of ‘strategic ambiguity’: The US’s claim of defending Taiwan in the event of an attack from China.
- Defeating Russia in Ukraine would discourage China from making any adventurous move towards Taiwan.
- The U.S. strove to exploit the divisions between the Soviet Union and China to prevent the formation of a strong Eurasian alliance.
- China would like the U.S. being distracted in Europe while it strengthens its ties with Russia and spreads its influence elsewhere.