Recently, a new conflict arose in Crimea, a Ukrainian territory, which has put the country on a cusp of a civil war. In addition, Crimea has become the peak of political tension between Russia and Ukraine because of the ethnic tension among Russians, Ukrainians, and the Tartars, and the weary relations between West and East. The recent situation is problematic for the future of Europe; the conflict will end either with peace or with a new Great War. Decisions made during the Cold War, a broken promise from the Ukrainian president, the police attack on protestors, and the Russian invasion have contributed to the crisis in Crimea.
The first cause of the Crimea crisis derives from the Cold War. During the Cold War, Crimea was initially part of Ukraine, and both belonged to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, like most of the Eastern Europe, with Josef Stalin as a leader. The region of Crimea was precious to Josef Stalin because of the geographical position, which was next to the Black Sea, and, therefore, he decided to make Crimea part of Russia. In 1944, Josef Stalin initiated the collectivization campaign and deported to Central Asia twelve percent of the Tatar population of Crimea, with almost half dying from starvation, thirst, and illness, and replaced them with the Russian population (Varettoni par. 5). Ukraine went through two famines and the counter-kulak campaign. The counter-kulak campaign consisted of taking the entire wealth of rich people and distributed the wealth to the poor individuals; in Stalin’s eyes, the rich people were considered the party’s enemies. The campaign caused the hunger-extermination, which consisted of the starvation and dying of millions of Ukrainian population. After Josef Stalin’s death, Niki...
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In a recent White House brief, President Obama called the Russian invasion of Crimea a clear violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and international law. When assessing the Russo-Ukrainian crises in Crimea, the commander of European Command (EUCOM) and the Supreme Allied Commander of European Forces (SACUER) must account for U.S. interests in the region before deciding a proper course of action. This essay aims to assess four of the United States’ national interests through the perspective of EUCOM and SACUER. The first section will outline the role of EUCOM and SACUER in the European region and assess the overall problem of Russia invading Crimea. The second section will outline four of the United States’ national interests at stake: international order, trade and economic prosperity, energy supply, and freedom of the seas. In doing so, this assessment of U.S. interests in Crimea supports the options of non-intervention and a non-provocative stance in order to maintain long-term stability because the Russian invasion has only violated peripheral interests of EUCOM and SACUER.
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The information war between the West and Russia had intensified once again and reached levels higher than the levels of Russo-Georgia war (2008). Russian media naturally is defending its annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol as a democratic referendum and justifying the military intervention as the protection of rights of the Russian population of Crimea. The referendum was very controversial since it had an unusually high voter turnout and the Pro-Russian vote has created speculations that the referendum has been falsified by the Russian government. The Western media condemns Russia for the anne...
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Outline of Essay About the Origins of the Cold War OUTLINE: Introduction- 1. Definition of ‘Cold War’ and the Powers involved 2. Perceived definition of ‘start of Cold War’ 3. Iron Curtain Speech, Truman Doctrine and Berlin Blockade as significant events that caused strife between both powers, but which triggering off the start of the Cold War Body- 1. Iron Curtain Speech (1946) - A warning of Soviet influence beyond the acknowledged Eastern Europe - Churchill’s belief that the idea of a balance in power does not appeal to the Soviets - Wants Western democracies to stand together in prevention of further
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Crimea’s history with Russia begins in 1783, when it became an annexed state (Taylor). However, to most of those within the western sphere of schooling most commonly learn about Crimea from the Crimean war. It occurred from 1853 to 1856 and involved Russia, Sardinia, France, Britain, and the Ottoman Empire. After three years of arduous fighting Russia eventually lost the war, but it did manage the keep the treasured peninsula. After the fall of the Russian Empire, in 1921 Crimea became “ The Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic” and unquestionably part of the Soviet Union. In the following decades, Crimea much like the rest of Europe endured the strain of the Second World War, but surprisingly in 1945 it was gifted from Russia to the Ukraine. According to Taylor, there are a couple of possi...
Walter, LaFeber. America, Russia, and the Cold War, 1945-1996. 8th ed. Vol. 8th. New York:
The Black Sea region is a disputed notion that is geographically bound to the actual area of the Black Sea, which comprises according to different sources: Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Macedonia, Montenegro, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine and going beyond possibly integrating other countries that are economically, strategically and by means of security liked to the region (M. Aydin, 2004). This crossroad of geopolitical interests, economic routes and influence areas is turning out to be decisive for the future Wider Europe, as the biggest problems that arise before the continent (migration, frozen conflicts, energy security, weapons and drugs trafficking) as well as the biggest opportunities for cooperation are present here. Another way of defining the region is as a civilization crossroad in between Orthodox, Muslim and Western culture. After a series of events that threatened the whole base of the Western Civilization (9/11, War on Terrorism, military campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq) have brought to attention this region as a potential solution to numerous security threats, as well as a stabilizing factor for the borders of the European continent. Yet, the region for decades was neglected by political scientists, reappearing as a preoccupation due to the factors mentioned above. This “Bermuda Triangle” of Western Security studies was largely ignored because it is situated at the periphery of three major security systems: European, Eurasian and Middle Eastern, being considered not so important for a long period of time. Before the emergence of the Soviet Union, the focus was on the Baltic States as well as on the Western Balkans, afterwards the aim ...