Russia’s Imperial War and the Need for Assistance to Ukraine

Russia’s Imperial War and the Need for Assistance to Ukraine

24. 2. 2023 Jan Svejnar´s policy brief "Russia’s Imperial War and the Need for Assistance to Ukraine During and After the War." In this essay, Jan Svejnar uses a historical perspective on Russia’s and Soviet Union’s imperial ambitions to examine Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and the need for the West to assist Ukraine decisively during and after the War. 

 
Excerpt:
 
In this essay, I use a historical perspective on Russia’s and Soviet Union’s imperial ambitions to examine Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and the need for the West to assist Ukraine decisively during and after the War. I emphasize that the part played by the countries of Central-East Europe in western response has been critical, as is and may in the future be, in a different way, the part played by China. Western sanctions have not been very effective as Europe has continued importing Russian oil and gas and most western firms have not left Russia. At the global level, Putin’s invasion of Ukraine also pretty much ensures that no country will ever give up its nuclear weapons in return for security guarantees by the Great Powers.
 
Russia’s Invasion in a Historical Perspective
 
Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022 and the prior annexation of Crimea on February 20, 2014 constitute a fundamental breach of international law. They also constitute direct contravention of the December 5, 1994 Budapest Memorandum, signed inter alia by Russia, the United States and United Kingdom, giving Ukraine Security Assurances and prohibiting the signatory countries from threatening or using military force against Ukraine. In return, Ukraine agreed to move nuclear weapons from its territory to Russia. Russia’s invasion pretty much ensures that in the future no country in possession of nuclear arms will voluntarily give them up against security assurances. From a historical perspective, Putin’s invasion represents a continuation of Russia’s long-term drive to create and maintain an empire and a substantial sphere of political and economic dominance in Europe and Asia. Putin expressed this view continually during his rise to power and in his 2005 Annual State of the Nation Address he specifically termed the collapse of the Soviet empire the “greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the century.” Putin’s invasion and war in Ukraine has to be seen and interpreted in light of this historical perspective. (In a larger perspective, given the governance developments in Russia and China, the Ukraine war represents a fundamental philosophical conflict between the West and East [Russia and China] about the superiority of the democratic v. autocratic system of national and global political governance.)
Czech Women’s Heads and Hands Remain Unused

Czech Women’s Heads and Hands Remain Unused

7. 2. 2023 Czech mothers struggle with feelings of loneliness and isolation. One of the reasons might be the more difficult involvement of mothers with small children in the work process. According to a new IDEA at CERGE-EI study, there are 50,000 fewer mothers aged 30 to 34 employed in the Czech Republic than the European average.  Read more ...

EUROMOD - evidence-based policy making in the EU

EUROMOD - evidence-based policy making in the EU

29. 6. 2022 Czech EU presidency panel discussion Read more ...

Highlights »

Highlights

CERGE-EI celebrates its 30th anniversary this year.
Read more ...

CERGE-EI »

CERGE-EI

We are part of joint workplace CERGE-EI

Economics Institute (EI) of the Czech Academy of Sciences and the Center for Economic Research and Graduate Education (CERGE) of the Charles University

 

 

  Read more ...