IR 002: Lecture 25 Flashcards
Who created Russia’s continental empire?
Peter the Great
What was the Soviet Unions reason for the Cold War?
- Soviet Ideology: repression and social justice
- Soviet Empire: Expansionism
What was the Russias relationship with the US and Europe like in the 1990s?
- Relative democratic opening
- US-inspired shock therapy (free-market reforms, privatizations, etc.)
Why did the US-Russia relationship begin to breakdown?
- NATOs expansion into Central/Eastern Europe
- Iraq War (sign of US militarism)
- US/EU push for democratization in Russia’s neighborhoods
- Ukraine Crisis (the turning point)
What was the 2014 Ukraine Crisis?
- Massive demonstrations backed by the US and EU against Ukraine’s president
- Russia took Crimea and destabilized eastern Ukraine
How did the US respond to the Ukraine Crisis in 2014?
- Huge Economic sanctions
- Additional US troops/ assistance to NATO
- Growing NATO cooperation with Ukraine
What was Russia’s response to the US response to the Ukraine crisis in 2014?
- Growing assertiveness vis-a-vis the West
- Nuclear modernization program
- Economic reorientation toward Asia
- Economic reorientation toward Asia
- Growing ties with rivals enemies of America
- Beginning of the Ukraine war in 2022
Why is Putins Russia so assertive?
- Deep isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic?
- Mental Issues?
- Religious turn?
- Disease?
- Domestic Political Factors (divert attention from Putin’s failures and fear of US-led democratization agenda)
What was Putins life experience like?
- Could not stand being wronged or betrayed
- Dog-eat-dog struggle as a KGB agent (one must always be on guard)
- Traumatized by the collapse of the Soviet Union
What is Russias National identity?
- Quest for prestige and power
- Frustrated by the West’s economic/political superiority
- Post Cold War humiliations inflicted by the West
How did Russias power decline after the Cold War?
- Lost 1/6 of its territory
- Population declined from 293M to 146M
- GDP fell by 43%
- Military decreased in size
What was the results of the US decision to expand NATO after the Cold War?
- It inflamed Russias nationalism
- It inflamed Russias anti-Westernism
- It inflamed Russias militarism
- It hurt the prospect of democratization in Russia
What was the initial goal of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine?
Remove president Zelenskyy
How has the Ukraine war effected Ukraines civilians?
- 9600 dead (and rising)
- 17500 injured
- 6.2M refugees abroad (+5-7M internally displaced)
What is the current challenge for the US and Nato with the Ukraine war?
- Denounce Russia’s violations of international order and provide economic support to Ukraine
- Don’t cause a NATO/Russia war or tempt Russia to use nukes
