logo

Will Super-Power Politics in Ukraine Lead to New Cold War?

image
Author: Logan Brown
Created: 10 March, 2014
Updated: 14 October, 2022
2 min read

Putin’s dream of unifying ex-Soviet states to create a Eurasian Economic Union (Belarus and Kazakhstan have already joined) has been a primary driver for Russia’s intervention thus far. Putin recently pushed for a revitalization of Russian identity by promoting legislation that would allow anyone fluent in Russian who lives, or family once lived, in the area of the Soviet Union to apply for Russian citizenship.

Crimea plays a central role in Putin’s ambition to create a Eurasian Economic Union given its access to warm water ports and strong Russian identity. The population in Crimea is 58 percent Russian, 24 percent Ukrainian, and 12 percent Crimean Tatar. However, 97 percent of the population uses Russian as their primary or only language.

Crimea is wedged between Russian and Ukrainian identity. Although it falls under Ukraine’s sovereignty, according to international law, Crimea has had periods of autonomous rule in the past, and it recently announced its desire to ally with Russia by declaring a referendum (to be voted on March 16) which would allow Crimea to join the Russian Federation under autonomous rule.

The

de facto Russian control over military in the region leads some experts to believe that Crimea may be on its way to becoming an unrecognized state protected by the Russians.

However, President Obama recently stated that the "proposed referendum on the future of Crimea would violate the Ukrainian constitution and violate international law.”

The U.S. giving credence to international law is interesting given its general lack of respect for international law. It’s more likely that the U.S. is rehashing Cold War power politics and trying to prevent Putin from reorganizing a new Soviet Union under the guise of international law.

Nonetheless, the U.S. and most of their European allies imposed sanctions on Russia, and Russia’s response will likely solidify whether this conflict will deflate or escalate. The U.S. and Russia’s opposing stances on Crimea and the future of the Ukrainian economy, combined with the failed negotiations that led up to these sanctions, paints a negative future for those hoping to resolve the situation quickly.

Russia and the West are both claiming ownership over the rights and interests of Ukraine and Crimea, but this conflict has clearly escalated outside of Ukrainian hands. The upcoming political plays between Russia and the U.S. will decide whether the world’s largest powers will rise above the age of uncompromising power politics or if this will mark the beginning of a new Cold War era.

Photo Source: patdollard.com

IVP Existence Banner

Latest articles

votes
Wyoming Purges Nearly 30% of Its Voters from Registration Rolls
It is not uncommon for a state to clean out its voter rolls every couple of years -- especially to r...
27 March, 2024
-
1 min read
ballot box
The Next Big Win in Better Election Reform Could Come Where Voters Least Expect
Idaho isn't a state that gets much attention when people talk about politics in the US. However, this could change in 2024 if Idahoans for Open Primaries and their allies are successful with their proposed initiative....
21 March, 2024
-
3 min read
Courts
Why Do We Accept Partisanship in Judicial Elections?
The AP headline reads, "Ohio primary: Open seat on state supreme court could flip partisan control." This immediately should raise a red flag for voters, and not because of who may benefit but over a question too often ignored....
19 March, 2024
-
9 min read
Nick Troiano
Virtual Discussion: The Primary Solution with Unite America's Nick Troiano
In the latest virtual discussion from Open Primaries, the group's president, John Opdycke, sat down ...
19 March, 2024
-
1 min read
Sinema
Sinema's Exit Could Be Bad News for Democrats -- Here's Why
To many, the 2024 presidential primary has been like the movie Titanic - overly long and ending in a disaster we all saw coming from the start. After months of campaigning and five televised primary debates, Americans are now faced with a rematch between two candidates polling shows a majority of them didn’t want....
19 March, 2024
-
7 min read