Remi Blog post 2

 Remi Adefioye

Russia vs. Ukraine

Blog Post 2

March 2, 2022



Why has Russia invaded Ukraine? This question has been discussed in our class and my public policy class. The answer is up for debate but there are some reasonable explanations. Although unlikely, Putin could be invading Ukraine to stop them from potentially joining NATO. Putin may also just want Ukraine in Russia's orbit. I think Putin is trying to change the sphere of influence around the world and ultimately increase Russia's influence. Therefore, invading Ukraine is just a piece of his overall plan. The sanctions posed by the West and particularly the US have been a normal trend since the 1990s. Military support is not a smart option for the US or any other nation because it is ultimately not in their best interest. That being said, it is possible that Putin was expecting this response. All the reports in the media have been about the countries that are against Russia and Putin but there has been little coverage on his supporting countries. Hungary, Greece, and Bulgaria are a few countries in his corner. This is important because it proves that Russia has its own coalition in Europe. On the contrary, countries like France, Germany, and the UK are basically grounded by the US, NATO, and the EU. 



In light of these countries not being able to support Ukraine through military force, it could be a bad end result if the sanctioning goes overboard. This could decrease the power and efficiency the west has in the world financial system, and could ultimately lead many countries to question the economic power that is currently in the west. Furthermore, over-sanctioning could make economies around the world look for an alternative economic system. If the US does not play its cards right with sanctions then even allies could start to think of their own economic sovereignty.



Putin's ultimate goal with invading Ukraine might be to divide the US from other European countries. If he does this then sanctions could be lifted without any repercussions and Russia could gain control of Europe and the financial system. This theory is a long process that could span years but could happen depending on the next steps taken by the West.   

Comments

  1. Simone BilleraMarch 8, 2022 at 12:22 PM

    I enjoyed the content within this blog post, as it discussed a multitude of relevant topics in regards to the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia. The main focus of this post was a series of potential reasons behind Russia's invasion of Ukraine. This specific subject choice allowed me to navigate and consider each argument, additionally spurring a whirlwind of personal thoughts and reflections on my own opinions. The author also included a few other important topics, one of the more prominent ones being about Russia's allies, an important but often overlooked talking point, according to the author. Overall, this was a very thought-provoking blog post, and I appreciated the content.

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  2. Christine AjaoMarch 8, 2022 at 7:37 PM

    I'd like to really start off by saying that this blog post was really good and I was really interested in reading about the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine. I liked how you mentioned the sanction's paradox and the effects of sanctioning a country like Russia. I think that its a really important subject of what the future is going to be with sanctioning Russia. There is already a spike in products such as gas, which will go up in the near future based on whats going on.

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  3. Brian CoteMarch 9, 2022 at 6:54 PM

    I enjoyed your inclusion of the continuation of sanctions against Russia dating back to the 1990s, as it gives valuable context when discussing Russia’s aggressive behavior. The data shows that aggressive Russian actions are not uncommon and this sudden conflict really was not completely out of thin air. I never thought about the prospect of fellow NATO allies also becoming unhappy with the United States because of their sanctions on Russia that eventually affect everyone else. That is a perspective that I believe is valuable to consider in such a tense game, as playing the long game with Russia could actually come to hurt the United States in the end. Very good perspectives.

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