War in Ukraine Flashcards
Who wrote that the war in Ukraine was “provoked”?
Jeffery Sachs
Why does Jeffery Sachs believe that the war in Ukraine was ‘provoked’ by the west?
Jeffery Sachs believes that western leaders (such as George Kennan and the 2008 US ambassador to Russia) knew that letting NATO expand East would be perceived as a threat by Russia. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Gorbachev was promised by western leaders that NATO would “not move an inch to the East”, a promise which has been subsequently broken
Why does Ian Bremmer believe the war in Ukraine was NOT provoked?
Ian Bremmer says that NATO never posed a security threat to Russia and that Putin invaded Ukraine for imperialistic reasons and because he never considered it to be a sovereign nation
What is another reason Ian Bremmer gives in support of NATO?
NATO is a voluntary organisation that the Ukrainian people voted to join in 2019 as a means to protect themselves from the Russian threat - the west had no hand in forcing Ukraine to join
What does Bill Fletcher Jr. have to say about the role of the international community in regards to the Ukrainian war effort?
Bill Fletcher Jr. says that nothing is worse than silence in the face of aggression and that it is NATOs duty to support Ukraine against its more powerful foe
What else does Bill Fletcher Jr. say about providing arms to Ukraine?
Bill Fletcher Jr. says that providing support to Ukraine to defend itself does not encourage war and points out that no such argument was made when Fascist Italy invaded Ethiopia in 1935
What does John Mearsheimer say about NATO expansion?
John Mearsheimer says that it does not matter if NATO posed an actual threat to Russia, only that Russia perceived it as one. He also points out the hypocrisy of the US, saying that if China and Mexico decided to form an alliance, the US would not have stood idly by and would have intervened on behalf of its security interests
What is John Mearsheimer’s ‘offensive realist’ view?
John Mearsheimer’s offensive realist view states that powerful states are self-interested, power maximizing, and fearful of other states - which is what led to the conflict in Ukraine
What kind of war does John Mearsheimer think the Ukraine conflict is?
John Mearsheimer thinks the Ukraine war with Russia is a ‘war of attrition’ in that both sides are aiming to weaken the other to the point of ruin
What are the three important factors in a ‘war of attrition’ according to John Mearshiemer?
1) The balance of resolve
2) Population size
3) The amount of artillery each side has
Why did Russia see NATO expansion as a security threat?
1) Ukraine was one of many other countries being offered NATO membership including Georgia, Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey, leading to Russian fears of ‘encirclement’
2) Because Ukraine boarders with Russia, by joining NATO it would become a security threat regarding missile attacks (1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty - ABM - US withdrawals in 2002)
