Analysis: A collection of opinions on Ukraine
Experts have been writing on the Ukraine crisis since it started. Here is a selection of their pieces.
As East-West tensions over the Ukraine crisis deepen, political analysts are having to keep pace with the rapidly-changing situation.
Here is a collection of what some experts have written for Al Jazeera about events in the country and Kiev’s relations with Russia, the US and the EU.
| On uses and abuses of historical memory – Vladimir Golstein |
“I understand that all is fair in love and war; that a propaganda war has started; that the first victim of the war is truth. But there are degrees of use and abuse, and the Western propaganda machine has steeped very low indeed, with blatant impunity, one might add. There are objections here and there, including the one from the great film director, Emir Kusturica, but where is the outrage?”
For the full piece, click here.
| Ukraine: Ominous World War II parallels? – Vartan Oskanian |
“Today’s world has seen, in the span of one century, two devastating and tragic world wars and one detrimental and costly Cold War. It is the lingering consequences of those wars that should guide the world leaders rather than the underlying seeds and currents of potential conflict today.”
For the full piece, click here.
| President Putin’s sarcasm – Alexander Nekrassov |
“Why don’t Western political leaders, including the ones in the US, cool off for a while, to let the situation simmer while diplomats do their thing behind the scenes, and then try to bring the two sides of the conflict in Ukraine together to attempt to resolve their issues.”
For the full piece, click here.
| On Crimea ‘invasion’: Why the UN veto has to go – Mark LeVine |
“In the kind of battles for world public opinion that are being waged now around the Ukraine and Crimea, the side that shows a willingness to relinquish some power to help ensure the great good for all sides will be the one that wins support for their policies towards resolving the conflict.”
For the full piece, click here.
| Former Soviet Republics: Fear, concern and frustration – Vartan Oskanian |
“If we are going to understand Russia’s behaviour and intentions, we have to begin with Russia’s perception of its fundamental weakness – its borders, particularly in the northwest. Russia believed the farther west into Europe its borders extend, the farther conquerors would have to travel to reach Moscow.”
For the full piece, click here.
| Ukraine’s identity rift – Remi Piet |
“What is at risk here is a severe destabilisation of the region, much as in Chechnya, with a violent radicalisation of a historic Muslim minority calling for independence to prevent further discrimination and abuse.”
For the full piece, click here.
| Cold war over Ukraine? – Alexander Nekrassov |
“One thing is certain: Moscow is sending the strongest signal since the war in Georgia in 2005 that it is not going to tolerate an unstable, Western dominated Ukraine on its border.”
For the full piece, click here.
| Crimea crisis: The Tatarstan factor – Ildar Gabidullin and Maxim Edwards |
“The official justification for Russia’s actions in Ukraine was supposedly their concern for minority groups – specifically, though not limited to, Crimean Russians. Given their mistrust and fears of repeated persecution, the Kremlin is approaching the Crimean Tatar community cautiously.”
For the full piece, click here.