Putin's Invasion of Ukraine and Disintegration of States

Abstract

Excerpt: "As of February 24, 2022, the history of Eastern Europe and perhaps the world is changing like it did during the implosion of communism in Eastern Europe in the late 1980s. The fall of communism brought a major geopolitical realignment. It is too early to know what catastrophes Vladimir Putin’s attempt to reverse that realignment will bring. After 1990 several of the countries of Eastern Europe faced fragmentation. During the decade of the 1990s, Yugoslavia broke up into seven states in an eruption of war which was replete with genocides. Two other countries also partitioned, but in contrast to Yugoslavia, they did so seemingly peacefully. Czech and Slovak Republics emerged out of Czechoslovakia in a peaceful partition. Much to the relief of an apprehensive population and the wider world, the largest country in the world, U.S.S.R. also dissolved in a seemingly orderly manner. Many were celebrating that the dissolution of these federal states brought a fulfillment of a longing for independence. Others experienced a loss of the advantages that a larger country provided. The implosion of communism was particularly liberating for religious people and communities as it promised a transition from persecution and repression to opportunities for renewal and restoration."