Finding a peaceful end to the war in Ukraine is growing increasingly difficult because both sides cannot fathom a defeat in this war, that includes the NATO and its allies. The Kotin reading points to Russian exceptionalism plaguing the Russian leadership since the sixteenth century as a major factor. This “great power pride” is the reason why Russia has been seen as the diplomatic black sheep of the international community to this day. The Mearsheimer reading, though slightly outdated, examens an opposing viewpoint, stating that the countries of NATO are partly to blame for the slim odds of peaceful resolution. In this piece, the author explains that the invasion of Ukraine is the direct result of aggressive NATO expansion policies. This is evident by the known involvement of the United States in the Orange Revolution, a coup d’état that usurped the democratically elected president and installed a pro-NATO government hand-picked by the Unites States.
Putin cannot tolerate a defeat in Ukraine by Russia’s historic enemy, yet NATO will not Tolerate a Russian victory in Ukraine so what is the solution? I agree with Mearsheimer’s idea to make Ukraine a Neutral territory, unable to commit to either Russia or NATO, in order to at least bring a cease fire to the area. Besides, I believe the United States should consider thwarting China’s economic and military pursuits as the main priority in foreign relations. Such a priority would involve collaborating with Russia, as we have done when dealing with the chemical weapons crisis in Syria. Finally, cooperation with Russia will be essential when developing lasting solutions to the climate crisis in the artic ocean. This issue should be high on Russia’s list since they share the largest land mass in/bordering the artic circle and are considering the possible national security risks developing in the region.
One reply on “Week 3 Blog”
Benjamin,
You present your view well in this blog post. You should be aware, however, that Mearsheimer’s article was considered quite controversial when you published it, and it is still considered to be very much a minority view. While the US and NATO probably did push too aggressively to expand NATO to the east, that does not remove the responsibility from the Russians for the seizure of Crimea or the invasion of Ukraine.
As for future cooperation with Russia, it is hard to imagine that happening while Vladimir Putin remains in power. He has a visceral hatred for the US and NATO. And he has formed an alliance with the Chinese as well, which pretty much rules out cooperating AGAINST the Chinese. –Professor Wallerstein