Tag Archive for: Ukraine

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Tag Archive for: Ukraine

ASPI suggests

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Robert Montez, with Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, speaks with local kids during a patrol through the Mashtal area of East Baghdad, Iraq, March 13, 2007. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Davis Pridgen) www.army.mil

Yesterday, the UN General Assembly voted on a resolution, proposed by Ukraine and backed by the United States and European Union, to affirm its commitment to Ukraine’s internationally-recognised borders and to dismiss the Crimean referendum as ‘having no validity’. One hundred states voted in favour (including Australia), 11 against and 58 abstained (results here). Unsurprisingly, Russia—which was not named in the resolution—voted ‘no’.

The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace asked an expert panel ‘what are the global implications of the Ukraine crisis?‘ The panellists, Eugene Rumer, Andrew S. Weiss, Ulrich Speck, Lina Khatib, George Perkovich and Douglas H. Paal also answered other questions on the impact of the situation on US strategy, China, Syria and global strategic affairs.

Turning to the implications for our region, Brad Glosserman of Pacific Forum CSIS has a National Interest piece on why Crimea matters to the US and Asia. He argues there are more subtle lessons to learn; he asserts that realism remains a feature of foreign policy and is characterised by ‘more subtle uses of force: scalpels, not cleavers’. Keep reading here. Read more

Author’s response: Russia and Ukraine

I refer to Peter Layton’s excellent piece following on from my original post lamenting the seeming inability of many western leaders to understand the Russian position in this unfolding mess.  Peter refers in part to agreements signed by Russia in 1994 and 1997 guaranteeing the future of the Crimea and points out that in a rules-based international order, treaties are important and should be adhered to.  He argues that this explains the US and European Union position—that they’re doing the right thing trying prevent Russia breaking agreements.

That’s fair enough—as far as it goes.  But let’s have a look at how things have changed since 1994 and 1997—years, by the way, when Russia was almost completely prostrate because of internal economic and political turmoil.

In 1999, NATO expanded eastward, signing up the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland.  Then in 2004 another large swag of countries, several bordering on Russia, signed up: Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia.  In 2009 Albania and Croatia also joined. Read more