Defensive Realism

Drew Derrenbacker

Fundamentals of International Relations

First Analytical Paper

25 February 2016 A Realist’s Approach to the Russia-Ukraine Conflict For the last several years, tense conflict has existed between Russia and much of the world over its aggressive tactics towards the Ukraine. Beginning in 2014, Russian President Vladimir Putin boldly annexed the province of Crimea, citing needed protection for the Russian people in the area following large protests. Despite widespread international condemnation that followed, Russia continued these combative strategies by carrying out military exercises near the Ukrainian border, and by sending disaster relief troops into the country to provide humanitarian aid for the Russian people. Stopping

Defensive Realists believe that it is a mistake for states to attempt to maximize their power. It is not in their best interest to do so because the international system will sanction them for attempting to get an unfair amount of power and disrupt the balance (Dunne, Kurki, and Smith 78-79). Kenneth Waltz was a prominent Defensive Realist who maintained that there were fundamental differences between domestic and international politics. He argued that while domestic politics are centralized and organized, the state of international politics is anarchy, with no overarching governing body. Each state has its own individual goals and motives and how states interact with each other creates this anarchical international system. In order to establish a semblance of order in international politics, states come together and create systems. These systems can take several forms including military alliances, economic trade agreements, and international humanitarian coalitions. These are designed to promote cooperation between states and inject order into an anarchical system (Waltz 79-106). For Defensive Realists, it is foolish for a state to try to maximize its power because that state will be punished by the international system. Whether it is economic sanctions, or military conflict, international systems serve as a check on an otherwise anarchical

While Russia has been aggressive in their tactics, including annexing the province of Crimea, Putin has stopped short of a direct and all out invasion. Waltz’s theory of Defensive Realism can tell us why. Russia has already faced international condemnation for its annexation of Crimea and military exercises near the Ukraine border. Further escalation on the Russian side, including a full invasion, is very risky at this time. The North American Treaty Organization (NATO) announced last week that it is bolstering its military presence in Central and Eastern Europe to deter any more competitive actions from Russia. Regarding the dedication of the organizations efforts, the defense secretary for NATO stated: “this will be multinational, to make clear that an attack against one ally is an attack against all allies, and that the alliance as a whole will respond.” In addition to Ukraine, NATO is looking to protect Hungary and Romania from Russian aggression (Schmidt). This is an excellent application of Waltz’s theory of Defensive Realism. Russia directly attempting to maximize its power will face international punishment, which could lead to potentially even more violent and widespread conflict. President Putin knows he cannot directly invade Eastern Europe, which explains why he is actively supporting pro-Russian protests in the region in an attempt to destabilize