Journal of Social and Political
Sciences
ISSN 2615-3718 (Online)
ISSN 2621-5675 (Print)
Published: 03 May 2022
The Ukraine Crisis: Causes, Conundrum and Consequences
Manqing Cheng
The University of Auckland, New Zealand
Download Full-Text Pdf
10.31014/aior.1991.05.02.350
Pages: 96-111
Keywords: European Union, Geopolitics, Global Governance, International Patterns, NATO, Regional Security, Russia, Sanctions, Ukraine, United States, World Economy
Abstract
Located at the geopolitical centre of Eurasia, Ukraine has been an important arena for great power game for nearly three decades since the collapse of the Soviet Union. The West, principally the United States and Europe, and the Russian Federation have therefore been heavily involved in Ukraine's internal and external development. Their ideological, economic, and geopolitical interests clashed in a fierce battle that led to multiple political regime changes in Ukraine, and ultimately plunged Europe into an intractable security situation. This paper takes the rivalry between the US, Europe and Russia in Ukraine as a starting point to examine the dilemma facing European security in the context of the great power game, the root causes behind the Ukraine crisis, its far-reaching consequences for geopolitics and global patterns and the implications for regional peace in other parts of the world.
References
Brzezinski, Z. (1997). A geostrategy for Eurasia. Foreign Affairs, 76(5), 50–64.
Clean Energy Wire (CLEW). (2022). Germany and the EU remain heavily dependent on imported fossil fuels. https://www.cleanenergywire.org/factsheets/germanys-dependence-imported-fossil-fuels
Cox, J. (March 16, 2022). Federal Reserve approves first interest rate hike in more than three years, sees six more ahead. CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/16/federal-reserve-meeting.html
De Luna, M. (April 2, 2022). U.S. liquefied natural gas exports rise 16%, to new record. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/us-liquefied-natural-gas-exports-rise-16-new-record-2022-04-01/
De Luna, M. & Chestney, N. (January 7, 2022). Gas gap in Europe drives U.S. LNG exports to record high. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/gas-gap-europe-drives-us-lng-exports-record-high-2022-01-06/
Duggal, H. & Haddad, M. (2022). Infographic: Russia, Ukraine and the global wheat supply. Al Jazeera. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/2/17/infographic-russia-ukraine-and-the-global-wheat-supply-interactive
Dunlop, J. B. (2004). Aleksandr Dugin's foundations of geopolitics. Demokratizatsiya, 12, 41.
Fix, L. & Kimmage, M. (February 18, 2022). What if Russia wins? A Kremlin-controlled Ukraine would transform Europe. Foreign Affairs. https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/ukraine/2022-02-18/what-if-russia-wins
Galpin, C. (2015). Has Germany "fallen out of love" with Europe? The Eurozone crisis and the "normalization" of Germany's European identity. German Politics and Society, 33(1-2), 25+
geohistory. (2019). A guide to Russia’s resources. https://geohistory.today/resource-extraction-export-russia/
Harris, K. (2022). Remarks by Vice President Harris at the Munich Security Conference. The White House. https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2022/02/19/remarks-by-vice-president-harris-at-the-munich-security-conference/
International Energy Agency (IEA). (2022a). Energy fact sheet: Why does Russian oil and gas matter? https://www.iea.org/articles/energy-fact-sheet-why-does-russian-oil-and-gas-matter
International Energy Agency (IEA). (2022b). How Europe can cut natural gas imports from Russia significantly within a year. https://www.iea.org/news/how-europe-can-cut-natural-gas-imports-from-russia-significantly-within-a-year
Kissinger, H.A. (March 5, 2014). Henry Kissinger: To settle the Ukraine crisis, start at the end. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/henry-kissinger-to-settle-the-ukraine-crisis-start-at-the-end/2014/03/05/46dad868-a496-11e3-8466-d34c451760b9_story.html
Lewis, C. (2020). Contemporary Russian Messianism under Putin and Russian Foreign Policy in Ukraine and Syria. Slavonic and East European Review 98(3), 531-559.
Mining Technology. (November 14, 2021). Countries with the biggest coal reserves. https://www.mining-technology.com/analysis/feature-the-worlds-biggest-coal-reserves-by-country/
NATO. Fact Sheet of July 2016. https://www.nato.int/nato_static_fl2014/assets/pdf/pdf_2016_07/20160627_1607-factsheet-enlargement-eng.pdf
Pappin, G. (2022). You are entering the American sector. The Postliberal Order. https://postliberalorder.substack.com/p/you-are-entering-the-american-sector?s=r
Pramuk, J. (March 15, 2022). Biden signs government funding bill that includes $13.6 billion in Ukraine aid. CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/15/biden-signs-government-funding-bill-with-ukraine-aid.html
Probasco, J. (March 15, 2022). Consolidated appropriations Act of 2022: What's in it, what's not. Investopedia. https://www.investopedia.com/congress-passes-massive-usd1-5-trillion-omnibus-spending-package-5221870
Rashad, M. (March 9, 2022). U.S. LNG exporters emerge as big winners of Europe natgas crisis. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/us-lng-exporters-emerge-big-winners-europe-natgas-crisis-2022-03-09/
Reuters. (March 23, 2022a). Biden will announce joint action on reducing European reliance on Russia oil and gas -White House. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/biden-will-announce-joint-action-reducing-european-reliance-russia-oil-gas-white-2022-03-22/
Rinke, A., Abnett, K. & Renshaw, J. (March 25, 2022). EU clinches U.S. LNG deal, brushes off Russian rouble demand. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/eu-leaders-plan-energy-security-boost-brush-off-russian-rouble-demand-2022-03-24/
Rutland, P. (2016). Geopolitics and the Roots of Putin’s Foreign Policy, Russian History, 43(3-4), 425-436.
Scott, G. (2018). The foundations of Aleksandr Dugin's geopolitics: Montage fascism and eurasianism as blowback. University of Denver. Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 1516.
Shekhovtsov, A. (2014). Putin's brain? Eurozine. https://www.eurozine.com/putins-brain/
Smith, P. (February 28, 2022). Putin puts nuclear deterrent forces on 'high alert' amid spiraling tensions over Ukraine. NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/putin-orders-nuclear-deterrent-forces-high-alert-tensions-build-ukrain-rcna17853
Solchanyk, R. (1998). Ukraine, Russia, and the CIS. Harvard Ukrainian Studies, 20, 19-43.
Talbott, S. (2003). The Russia hand: A memoir of presidential diplomacy. New York: Random House. p. 78.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration. (2016). Country Analysis Brief: Russia. 1-30.
The White House. (February 26, 2022). Joint statement on further restrictive economic measures. https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/02/26/joint-statement-on-further-restrictive-economic-measures/
Von Drehle, D. (March 22, 2022). Opinion: The man known as ‘Putin’s brain’ envisions the splitting of Europe — and the fall of China. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/03/22/alexander-dugin-author-putin-deady-playbook/
Woodward, C. (March 28, 2022). U.S. energy producers cheer Biden’s LNG to Europe plan. InsideSources. https://insidesources.com/u-s-energy-producers-cheer-bidens-lng-to-europe-plan/
Zabala, S. & Gallo, C. (March 30, 2022). Putin’s philosophers: Who inspired him to invade Ukraine? Al Jazeera. https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2022/3/30/putins-philosophers