Consquences for Russia’s Advancements
- August 31st, 2014
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Last week, Russia has once again violated Ukraine’s sovereignty by invasion of eastern Ukraine. These unacceptable actions by Russia have prompted the world to respond. The US has already put hard sanctions on Russia and the EU is looking “to bring its sanctions into line with US measures” by hitting Russian oligarchs and companies close to the state.
However, sanctions are not the only thing that is on the EU’s mind. They are concerned that Putin’s actions against Ukraine will lead to a “point of no return” and cause war. Lithuania’s president is urging the EU to get serious against Russia since its actions are threatening peace in Europe. If Russia does not pull back on its actions, we can see Europe getting involved militarily to secure their territories from Putin. The response force the EU could provide would lead to a very unpleasant war between West and East. If such a conflict were to escalate enough, we can see the US joining to secure its interests and allies in the region. This modern confrontation could put US security in jeopardy.
However, looking through Russia’s eyes, the Ukraine wants to be part of Europe which would mean that the Western world would be at Russia’s front door. Russia would begin feeling less secure in its own region without the old Ukraine buffer between West and East. Even so, that does not justify Russia’s violation of international law by violating Ukraine’s sovereignty.
Currently, this crisis is solely the EU’s problem to deal with. The US should not do anything but heavily sanction Russia and we cannot rely on the UN as an organization to resolve this issue. The EU needs to stand up for its own region without heavy US influence. The US does not need another large conflict unless if it is necessary to protect its European allies and its security.
-Zachary