Dynamics Of The Ukraine War

What are the causes and consequences of the crisis in Ukraine, and what has been the nature of local, national, and external actors’ involvement in it? These are the questions that the authors examine in this comprehensive analysis of the situation in Ukraine. The crisis evolved from peaceful protests to full-scale military conflict and to an unstable ceasefire frequently interrupted by, at times, intense clashes between government forces and separatist rebels. Tracing the emergence of two new de-facto state entities in the post-Soviet space—the self-declared Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics—from the chaos of the early days after Russia’s annexation of Crimea in Spring 2014 to the second Minsk Agreement in February 2015, and focusing on the actions of the immediate conflict parties and their external backers, the authors investigate the feasibility and viability of several prominent ‘scenarios’ for a possible future settlement of the conflict. As an in-depth case study of the complex dynamics of the conflict at local, national, regional, and global levels of analysis, the book complements and advances existing scholarship on civil war and international crisis management and also provides insights for the policy community and the wider interested public.

What are the causes and consequences of the crisis in Ukraine, and what has been the nature of local, national, and external actors' involvement in it? These are the questions that the authors examine in this comprehensive analysis of the situation in Ukraine. The crisis evolved from peaceful protests to full-scale military conflict and to an unstable ceasefire frequently interrupted by, at times, intense clashes between government forces and separatist rebels. Tracing the emergence of two new de-facto state entities in the post-Soviet space--the self-declared Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics--from the chaos of the early days after Russia's annexation of Crimea in Spring 2014 to the second Minsk Agreement in February 2015, and focusing on the actions of the immediate conflict parties and their external backers, the authors investigate the feasibility and viability of several prominent 'scenarios' for a possible future settlement of the conflict. As an in-depth case study of the complex dynamics of the conflict at local, national, regional, and global levels of analysis, the book complements and advances existing scholarship on civil war and international crisis management and also provides insights for the policy community and the wider interested public.

The Ukrainian conflict has come to be considered as the most serious geopolitical crisis in Central and Eastern Europe since the end of the Cold War. Its implications extend well beyond the borders of Ukraine, and its impact on the security of the wider Black Sea region is, as yet, neither contained nor fully understood.This book contains 28 articles on the topic of hybrid warfare and related threats, delivered at the NATO Advanced Research Workshop (ARW) 'Countering Hybrid Threats: Lessons Learned from Ukraine', held in Bucharest, Romania, in September 2015. This event brought together 50 experts from different fields and perspectives, including policymakers, security and intelligence practitioners, and academics. The presentations explored the nature of the Ukrainian conflict and the dynamic evolution of current security threats in Central and Eastern Europe and the Black Sea region with the aim of identifying the key drivers of the conflict and exploring the most efficient instruments and methods for conflict resolution. The book is divided into four sections entitled: challenges of hybrid warfare: multiple perspectives; hybrid war - an old concept with an extensive dimension; counteracting hybrid threats: lessons learned from Ukraine; and finally, the implications of the Ukrainian conflict for regional and Euro-Atlantic security.The book provides a timely reflection on recent events and will be of interest to all those wishing to improve their understanding of hybrid warfare and conflict resolution.

Fully revised and updated, this book explores the long-term dynamics of international conflict between Ukraine, Russia and the West, revealing the historic background to the invasion of Ukraine.

The unfolding crisis in Ukraine has brought the world to the brink of a new Cold War. As Russia and Ukraine tussle for Crimea and the eastern regions, relations between Putin and the West have reached an all-time low. How did we get here? Richard Sakwa here unpicks the context of conflicted Ukrainian identity and of Russo-Ukrainian relations and traces the path to the recent disturbances through the events which have forced Ukraine, a country internally divided between East and West, to choose between closer union with Europe or its historic ties with Russia. In providing the first full account of the ongoing crisis, Sakwa analyses the origins and significance of the Euromaidan Protests, examines the controversial Russian military intervention and annexation of Crimea, reveals the extent of the catastrophe of the MH17 disaster and looks at possible ways forward following the October 2014 parliamentary elections. In doing so, he explains the origins, developments and global significance of the internal and external battle for Ukraine.With all eyes focused on the region, Sakwa unravels the myths and misunderstandings of the situation, providing an essential and highly readable account of the struggle for Europe's contested borderlands.

Combining innovative theory with detailed case studies, this book offers a novel account of the border-crossing processes of civil war.