Ukraine in the crosshairs of geopolitical power play
Ukraine in the crosshairs of geopolitical power play

Author: Peter W. Schulze

Publisher: Campus Verlag

Published: 2020-10-07

Total Pages: 179

ISBN-13: 3593445700

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After years of stagnation, the neglected Ukraine conflict has once again returned to the international agenda. Volodymyr Zelensky's 2019 presidential election victory has led to changes in Ukraine's system of political governance. The new government broke the ice by abstaining from military narratives and cautiously opening avenues for communication with the separatist authorities in the Donbas region. Such changes forced the signatories to the Minsk II agreement and the parties to the Normandy Format, Russia, Germany, Ukraine, and France, to act. If the Ukraine conflict is seen as one of the main obstacles to a revitalized dialogue between the EU and Russia on a common European security and peace order, steps to resolve the conflict could be a key to embarking on such a path. The authors of this volume attempt here to define and analyse the variety of European and Russian objectives and the limits of compromise.

Ukraine in the Crosshairs
Ukraine in the Crosshairs

Author: William Dunkerley

Publisher:

Published: 2014-11-11

Total Pages: 248

ISBN-13: 9780990452904

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"Will Ukraine drag America into war with Russia?" What's Putin really up to? And what about the United States and NATO? Terrifying headlines of Putin's aggressive moves into Ukraine leave the world questioning where he'll stop. Some politicians liken him to Hitler. Is the world really in such deep trouble? Or are media reports over-sensationalized just to attract attention? "Ukraine in the Crosshairs" is the only book to take this head on. It shoots holes in fabricated stories concocted to titillate. And it shows you how to read between the lines to learn the truth. "Ukraine in the Crosshairs" provides a plain-talk practical perspective. It's no drawn-out ivory tower essay bogged down in historical minutia and endless footnotes. It's intended for common-sense readers who want to make sense out of the troubling news that abounds. The book is replete with quotes from news sources, followed by analysis that contrasts them with readily verifiable facts. Author William Dunkerley examines Putin's contributions to the Ukrainian crisis. But he also discovered other actors with Ukraine in their crosshairs, too. He shows how avaricious foreign entities twisted Ukrainians' quest for a better life into an unremitting disaster. You'll see how Ukraine's ethnic and linguistic milieu was used to incite internal division at the expense of the beneficial diversity that had existed. Fabricated news stories have served as a means of manipulation. In the end culprits are identified who've been in a position to benefit from the creation of Ukraine's calamitous condition. "Ukraine in the Crosshairs" analyzes the period from the start of the Maidan demonstrations in November 2013 through to the controversial Eastern Ukraine elections of November 2014. Relevant historical context is also included. While the commentaries on this crisis in most books stop on the day when they're published, this one is different. The crisis is ongoing. And so purchasers of "Ukraine in the Crosshairs" will have exclusive access to a free update service covering new developments throughout 2015. Chapters: 1. In Whose Crosshairs? 2. Ukraine's Lingua-Ethnic Dilemma 3. Fueling the Maidan Expectations 4. Is the New Regime Legitimate? 5. U.S. Position Fell Apart Quickly 6. Sanctions 7. Paranoia and Aggression 8. False News Reports 9. Putin's Buffoonery 10. Making Sense of It All 11. The Camouflaged Objective Appendices --Updates and Clarifications --More on Language and Ethnicity --Artillery or Grain Harvesters? --About the Author

At the Foot of the Cross
At the Foot of the Cross

Author: John Burger

Publisher: Our Sunday Visitor

Published: 2022-12-29

Total Pages: 179

ISBN-13: 1639660283

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Through times of trial, division, repression, and new growth, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church has remained faithfully at the foot of the Cross. The leader of this Eastern Catholic Church, Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, grew up in Ukraine during a time when his Church was illegal, and his family had to carry out their religious practices in secret. Born in the western Ukrainian city of Stryi on May 5, 1970, he grew up hearing stories of his parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents who had to deal with the demands of shifting political situations and the conflicts of Eastern Europe. He studied for the priesthood in an underground seminary and learned from the witness of priests and bishops who were imprisoned for their faith — including some who lost their lives on account of their fidelity to Christ and his Church. Today, in the interviews contained in this book, His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk offers deep insights about the direction in which the world is going, including the struggle the Church once again faces, thirty years after the fall of the Soviet Union, in light of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Ukraine's Revolt, Russia's Revenge
Ukraine's Revolt, Russia's Revenge

Author: Christopher M. Smith

Publisher: Brookings Institution Press

Published: 2022-03-15

Total Pages: 444

ISBN-13: 0815739257

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“This firsthand account of contemporary history is key to understanding Russia's latest assault on its neighbor."—USA Today An eyewitness account by a U.S. diplomat of Russia’s brazen attempt to undo the democratic revolution in Ukraine Told from the perspective of a U.S. diplomat in Kyiv, this book is the true story of Ukraine’s anti-corruption revolution in 2013—14, Russia’s intervention and invasion of that nation, and the limited role played by the United States. It puts into a readable narrative the previously unpublished reporting by seasoned U.S. diplomatic and military professionals, a wealth of information on Ukrainian high-level and street-level politics, a broad analysis of the international context, and vivid descriptions of people and places in Ukraine during the EuroMaidan Revolution. The book also counters Russia’s disinformation narratives about the revolution and America’s role in it. While focusing on a single country during a dramatic three-year period, the book’s universal themes—among them, truth versus lies, democracy versus autocracy—possess a broader urgency for our times. That urgency burns particularly hot for the United States and all other countries that are the targets of Russia's cyber warfare and other forms of political skullduggery. From his posting in U.S. Embassy Kyiv (2012–14), the author observed and reported first-hand on the EuroMaidan Revolution that wrested power from corrupt pro-Kremlin Ukrainian autocrat Viktor Yanukovych. The book also details Russia’s attempt to abort the Ukrainian revolution through threats, economic pressure, lies, and intimidation. When all of that failed, the Kremlin exacted revenge by annexing Ukraine's territory of Crimea and fomenting and sustaining a hybrid war in eastern Ukraine that has killed more than 13,000 people and continues to this day. Ukraine's Revolt, Russia’s Revenge is based on the author’s own observations and the multitude of reports of his Embassy colleagues who were eyewitnesses to a crucial event in contemporary history.

The Lost Peace
The Lost Peace

Author: Richard Sakwa

Publisher: Yale University Press

Published: 2023-01-01

Total Pages: 446

ISBN-13: 0300255012

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The end of the Cold War was an opportunity--our inability to seize it has led to today's renewed era of great power competition "An eloquent and persuasive argument about how the world squandered the promise of the end of the Cold War."--Maria Lipman, Foreign Affairs The year 1989 heralded a unique prospect for an enduring global peace as harsh ideological divisions and conflicts began to be resolved. Now, three decades on, that peace has been lost. With war in Ukraine and increasing tensions between China, Russia, and the West, great power politics once again dominates the world stage. But could it have been different? Richard Sakwa shows how the years before the first mass invasion of Ukraine represented a hiatus in conflict rather than a lasting accord--and how, since then, we have been in a "Second Cold War." Tracing the mistakes on both sides that led to the current crisis, Sakwa considers the resurgence of China and Russia and the disruptions and ambitions of the liberal order that opened up catastrophic new lines of conflict. This is a vital, strongly argued account of how the world lost its chance at peace, and instead saw the return of war in Europe, global rivalries, and nuclear brinksmanship.

Russia's Road to War with Ukraine
Russia's Road to War with Ukraine

Author: Samir Puri

Publisher: Biteback Publishing

Published: 2022-08-25

Total Pages: 206

ISBN-13: 1785907719

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"We don't yet know where the current battle is headed. But Puri's 'first cut' will help us greatly in fathoming how we got here." – Patrick Porter, Professor of International Security, University of Birmingham *** When Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine on 24 February 2022, many in the West were left stunned at his act of brutal imperialism. To those who had been paying attention, however, the warning signs of the bloodshed and slaughter to come had been there for years. Tracing the relationship between the two countries from the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991 to Putin's invasion in 2022, what emerges from this gripping and accessible book is a portrait of a nation caught in a geopolitical tug of war between Russia and the West. While Russia is identified as the sole aggressor, we see how Western bodies such as the EU and NATO unrealistically raised Ukraine's expectations of membership before dashing them, leaving Ukraine without formal allies and fatally exposed to Russian aggression. As a former international observer, Samir Puri was present for several of the major events covered in this book. He uses this experience to ask honestly: how did we get here? Why does Vladimir Putin view Ukraine as the natural property of Russia? Did the West handle its dealings with these countries prudently? Or did it inflame the tensions left amidst the ruins of the Soviet Union? Were there any missed opportunities to avert the war? And how might this conflict end?

Kiev 1941
Kiev 1941

Author: David Stahel

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2011-11-03

Total Pages: 485

ISBN-13: 113950360X

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In just four weeks in the summer of 1941 the German Wehrmacht wrought unprecedented destruction on four Soviet armies, conquering central Ukraine and killing or capturing three quarters of a million men. This was the Battle of Kiev - one of the largest and most decisive battles of World War II and, for Hitler and Stalin, a battle of crucial importance. In this book, David Stahel charts the battle's dramatic course and aftermath, uncovering the irreplaceable losses suffered by Germany's 'panzer groups' despite their battlefield gains, and the implications of these losses for the German war effort. He illuminates the inner workings of the German army as well as the experiences of ordinary soldiers, showing that with the Russian winter looming and Soviet resistance still unbroken, victory came at huge cost and confirmed the turning point in Germany's war in the East.

A Measure Short of War
A Measure Short of War

Author: Jill Kastner

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2025-01-07

Total Pages: 305

ISBN-13: 0197683169

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A fast-paced, gripping history of meddling, manipulation, and skulduggery among great power rivals In 2016, the United States was stunned by evidence of Russian meddling in the US presidential elections. But it shouldn't have been. Subversion--domestic interference to undermine or manipulate a rival--is as old as statecraft itself. The basic idea would have been familiar to Sun Tzu, Thucydides, Elizabeth I, or Bismarck. Russia's operation was just the latest episode, and there will be more to come. It came as a surprise in 2016 because the sole superpower had fallen asleep at the wheel. But what's really new? Have we entered a new age of vulnerability? To answer these questions, and to protect ourselves against future subversion, we need a clear-eyed understanding of what it is and how it works. In A Measure Short of War, Jill Kastner and William C. Wohlforth provide just that, taking the reader on a compelling ride through the history of subversion, exploring two thousand years of mischief and manipulation to illustrate subversion's allure, its operational possibilities, and the means for fighting back against it. With vivid examples from the ancient world, the great-power rivalries of the 19th century, epic Cold War struggles, and more, A Measure Short of War shows how prior technological revolutions opened up new avenues for subversion, and how some democracies have been fatally weakened by foreign subverters while others have artfully defended themselves--and their democratic principles. A primer on the history of subversive statecraft in great power rivalry, A Measure Short of War will leave readers smarter about foreign meddling, more prepared to debate national responses, and better able to navigate between the twin temptations of insouciance and overreaction.