Issues In International Relations Research Articles

The socio-economic policy of the Breuning government (March 29, 1930 - May 30, 1932) in the coverage of the Soviet newspaper Pravda

The article examines the socio-economic policy in the Weimar Republic under Chancellor Heinrich Breuning from 1930 to 1932 through the prism of the Soviet newspaper Pravda, which is the main source of expression of the official position of the Soviet Union on the issue of international relations. In addition to evaluating the Chancellor's activities and the events taking place in Germany, the newspaper's materials highlight the specifics of the development of the German communist movement during this period. The authors also highlight events related to the development of the National Socialist movement in Germany during the period under review in the context of the strengthening of the political influence of the National Socialist Party of Germany and the development of government interaction with its leaders. It is concluded that the newspaper Pravda in its publications about the events in Germany during this period focused on the proletarian struggle and did not differ in an analytical approach.The following research methods were used: analysis of special sources and materials, including archival ones; method of classification and systematization; content analysis of materials of the newspaper Pravda. The main conclusion of the study is that the ambiguous and contradictory policies of the Breuning cabinet led to a new political crisis in the country. Instability and the lack of socio-economic and political prospects led to an increasing polarization of German society and its inclination towards the right-wing radical party of the National Socialists.In addition, the publications of Pravda, reflecting the events in Germany during this period, were more tendentious in the nature of the proletarian struggle and did not differ in analytics.

Analysis of British Foreign Policy Forming the Australia, United Kingdom, and United States (AUKUS) Security Alliance in 2021

Security has become a significant issue in international relations because it involves aspects of territorial protection, peacekeeping, economic stability, and other elements that influence the lives of countries worldwide. In international relations, security involves a deep understanding of threats, conflicts, and strategies to maintain peace and stability at regional and global levels. This research aims to analyze state behavior in the context of security cooperation, focusing on the UK's participation in the AUKUS security alliance formed in 2021. The UK's decision to join AUKUS was driven by two main factors, namely national role conceptions and role prescriptions. This research pays special attention to the uniqueness of Britain's participation in this alliance, considering its geographical position in the North Atlantic region, not in the Indo-Pacific region, which is the main focus of AUKUS. This analysis will provide valuable insight for the Indonesian Government in addressing security dynamics in the Indo-Pacific region related to forming the AUKUS alliance. By understanding the motivational factors driving UK participation, this research can contribute to formulating more effective policies addressing regional and global security challenges.

Prvá svetová vojna a Ukrajina : transnacionálna perspektíva

The article deals with the prospects of research of history of Ukraine throughout the years of the First World War from the perspective of transnational aspect. This educational approach has been a dominant one in Western historical study nowadays. However, in Ukrainian historiography, it has not received such popularity and influence yet. The author tries to demonstrate research prospects of usage of several scientific achievements of Western historians, depicting the connection with Ukraine in the First World War. In particular, this is the Ukrainian issue in international relations in 1914–1918, the history of Ukrainian cities during the First World War, the refugees from Ukrainian lands, violence during the War period 1914–1918, propaganda. On the one hand, these particular stories and plots from the War time show us the need of additional educational investigations done by Ukrainian historians. On the other hand, they convincingly demonstrate the value of Ukrainian narrative of the Great War, that significantly complements transnational history of this global confrontation since the beginning of the last century. Moreover, it outlines the potential perspective of a large-scale scientific project, namely – the rethinking of Eastern European history of the First World War, where the scientists from European countries would be involved.

‘The National Interest of Israel-Turkey Engagement on Syria Civil War Related to US Foreign Policy of Pulling out Forces’

Since 2011, when Protests against President Assad's rule triggered a large-scale conflict between anti-government rebel groups sponsored by the US, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and others countries. regional allies, and the Syrian government backed by Russia and Iran, the Syrian civil war has colored the international relations issue. This article focuses on US policies in Syria and Israel-Turkey's national interests in the region. The purpose of the paper is to conduct an assessment on Syria civil war related to US foreign policy of pulling out forces and theirs impacts. This research employs qualitative method . The results demonstrate that Trump's actions have exposed some unsettling truths and realities regarding US strategy toward Syria. Yes, Trump has acted as both an arsonist and a firefighter.. These developments therefore give rise to a new period of conflict between Israel and Turkey based on their respective national interests. Finally, President Donald Trump's administration's foreign policy toward Syria has considered the tragic drama in Syria

Allies and diffusion of state military cybercapacity

Understanding the diffusion of military capabilities is a central issue in international relations. Despite this, only a few works attempt to explain this phenomenon, focusing on threats. This article explains why threats alone cannot account for cybercapacity-development diffusion and introduces a more consistent explanation: the role of alliances. Allies with cybercapacity help partner-countries without cybercapacity start developing their own capacity to increase the alliance’s overall security by reducing mutual vulnerabilities in cyberspace. Partner-countries that lack cybercapacity are eager to accept this option because it is more favorable than developing cybercapacity on their own. Partner-countries may also start investing in cybersecurity to reduce the likelihood of being abandoned in other, conventional, domains. My new cross-sectional time-series dataset on indicators of a state’s cybercapacity-development initiation for 2000–18 provides robust empirical support for this argument and offers important implications for scholarship on arms, allies, and diffusion.

ПИТАННЯ КРИМУ В БРИТАНСЬКО-УКРАЇНСЬКИХ ВІДНОСИНАХ (ЛЮТИЙ 2014 – ЛЮТИЙ 2022 РОКУ)

The article analyses the issue of Crimea in bilateral relations between the United Kingdom and Ukraine in 2014–2022. It is noted that, on the one hand, the relevance, importance and interest in the issue are caused by the UK’s leadership in supporting Ukraine in the context of russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine. Thus, there is active economic, investment, political and other cooperation between the UK and Ukraine on a systematic and consistent basis. The United Kingdom, along with promoting and further strengthening its own brand, actively supports and lobbies for Ukraine’s position among the countries of the world. On the other hand, the issue of Crimea is important, complex, and one of the cross-cutting issues in international relations in the context of the turbulence of the international order, on which the security and geopolitical situation in Europe and the world depends. Moreover, the article argues that, in addition to its geopolitical, security and strategic importance, Crimea has significant potential in tourism, energy and other sectors. The paper comprehensively examines the United Kingdom’s relations and cooperation with Ukraine, the state and development of bilateral relations on the eve of the annexation of the Crimean peninsula, the investment climate in Crimea before the annexation by the russian federation, the UK’s response to the occupation of the Crimean peninsula, the UK’s position on systemic human rights violations and persecution of activists by the Russian authorities in Crimea, the UK’s participation in the Crimean Platform, etc. It is analysed that British-Ukrainian relations, despite their ambiguity and inconsistency of quality cooperation since the restoration of Ukraine’s independence in 1991, have reached a fundamentally new level of close, multidimensional cooperation after the events in Crimea in February 2014 and, especially, after the beginning of Russia’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine. Ukrainian and foreign researchers have been and continue to be actively engaged in research on the United Kingdom’s foreign policy. Still, the issue of Crimea in British-Ukrainian relations has not been accentuated and deeply explored from a historical perspective.

Empowering Perspectives: Analyzing Gender Dynamics in International Politics

This study explores the complex world of gender dynamics in global politics with the goal of empowering different viewpoints and promoting inclusive government. The introduction outlines the growing importance of gender issues in international relations and emphasizes the necessity for a thorough understanding of how they intersect with other social identities. The study's dual goals are to first investigate how gender affects political involvement and representation while taking into account how race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation interact with gender experiences. Second, to examine how gender-sensitive policies affect international efforts at development, peacekeeping, and conflict resolution. A mixed-methods strategy is used, including research using qualitative data. Findings highlight the complex ways in which gender influences international politics' power structures, decision-making procedures, and access to opportunities. The report also highlights the significance of comprehensive gender-sensitive policy and points out shortcomings in addressing intersecting identities. In order to establish a more inclusive and equitable international political scene, more research and action are required, as this study emphasizes the significance of advancing gender equity in global governance.

Linguistic Means of Constructing ‘Enemy Number One’ in the US Cold War Cinema

The study examines how the US Cold War cinema employed linguistic means to construct images of the USSR and American communists. The research relevance is determined by: the need to study the techniques of creating the enemy image as one of the crucial issues in international relations; and the importance of the topic amidst the aggravation of Russia- US relations. The study aims at analysing the usage of linguistic means in such practices of constructing/deconstructing the images of ‘enemy number one’ as dehumanisation of the enemy, its normalisation, domestication, and rehumanisation. The research novelty lies in the fact that, for the first time, the language as a resource for constructing enemy images in the Cold War films is analysed. The material for the study makes American films of the 1940s-1960s, in which contaminated speech for depicting Soviet characters is extensively used. Particular attention is paid to the means of creating speech portraits of Soviet characters. The research methods used are descriptive, linguistic, and sociolinguistic methods, and discourse analysis. The authors conclude that linguistic means (primarily linguistic competences and accent) were instrumental for creating enemy images in the cinematic Cold War. Linguistic otherness served as a means of emphasising second-rate culture, which in turn was intended to mark political foreignness. Linguistic means helped fulfil functions of the enemy image: showing its otherness; depriving it of the linguistic abilities as an essential attribute of humanity, helping dehumanise it; emphasizing its civilisational inferiority; and making the enemy comical. Finally, attention is drawn to the fact that the cinematic image of ‘enemy number one’ contributed to the hierarchisation of languages; everything Russian was associated with communism and therefore perceived as inferior and hostile.

Does financial market development really drive migrant remittances’ flow in Sub-Saharan Africa?

PurposeThe discussion on international migration has become a significant part of globalization and a topical issue in international relations, especially in developing economies which mostly relies on migrant remittances. The purpose of the study is to examine whether financial market development (equity market development and banking sector development) really drives migrant remittance flow in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).Design/methodology/approachThe study employs the dynamic heterogeneous panel data approach-the pool mean group (PMG) and the mean group (MG) techniques in analyzing the model based on data obtained from 27 SSA countries covering the period 2000–2020.FindingsThe findings of the study revealed that financial market development (equity market development and banking sector development) is a key driver of migrant remittances flows in the SSA region. In addition, the study revealed that the following macroeconomic variables such as real interest rate, unemployment rate, global growth, emigration, and economic growth are also determinants of migrant remittances flows in the SSA region.Originality/valueThe reviewed empirical literature revealed that several studies documents that the macroeconomic determinants of migrant remittances include inflation, GDP, interest rate, exchange rate, population growth, financial sector development and unemployment rate. Most of these studies fail to capture both equity market development and robust banking sector development (financial market development) as critical drivers of migrant remittances flow in SSA. Also, this study uses a robust measure of equity market development and banking sector development, unlike previous studies.Peer reviewThe peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-05-2023-0361

Geopolitics and Energy

This article provides a brief overview of the most relevant aspects related to the geopolitics of energy, a key issue in international relations. It is closely tied to the existing geopolitical conflicts between Western countries and Russia, stemming from the war in Ukraine. Hydrocarbons remain pivotal in the context of primary energy. Prices are influenced not only by traditional supply and demand relationships but also significantly by geopolitical factors. Moreover, climate change policies fall within the scope of geopolitics, primarily because energy economics directly ties to energy security. In this regard, clean energies offer the requisite independence, bypassing ties with undesirable suppliers.

Общее и особенное в профессии дипломата глазами студентов: кросскультурное исследование

In the context of turbulence in the system of international relations and the increasing responsibility of profes-sionals in defending state interests, the role of specialized education is increasing. The goals and objectives of national education systems are significant factors in the rapprochement or separation of countries and peoples, which in turn affects the formation of consolidated or separate policies on major issues of international rela-tions. The article analyzes the data of the survey of students of the Lomonosov Moscow State University Branch in Dushanbe (Tajikistan), as well as students of universities of the Russian Federation, preparing specialists in international relations and diplomacy, in order to assess their attitude to the chosen profession, professional and personal qualities necessary for successful career implementation. The comparative analysis of the results of the conducted cross-cultural research allowed to compare the evaluative opinions and perceptions of stu-dents of the two countries about the prestige of the diplomat's profession, as well as about the role, tasks and significance of diplomatic activity in modern realities. Conclusions dwells upon the fact that family continuity plays a role in the formation of a professional in the sphere of diplomacy, along with outlining possible direc-tions for further sociological research.

Motives and Resources of Traditional Chinese Foreign Aid, 1949–1994

Since the establishment of traditional Chinese foreign aid, the People’s Republic of China has participated as both a donor and a recipient in foreign aid mechanisms. This has become a major issue in international relations. Until the Export-Import Bank of China and the China Development Bank were established in 1994, Chinese foreign aid could be considered traditional. As the focus of this study, traditional Chinese foreign aid has gained a disparate place in the literature due to its high level of involvement with aid mechanisms, domestic economic resources and motivations. In particular, the relationship between the PRC’s foreign aid motivations and its economic resources showed how effectively mainland China applied the foreign aid mechanism, which has been one of the main issues of these international relations. This study examines the relationship between the different economic conditions and foreign aid motivations of the Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping periods and attempts to reveal certain continuities and changes between the two periods.

Securitizing The Iran Nuclear Deal: A Comparative Analysis Of Us Foreign Policy Under Obama, Trump And Biden (2015-2022)

Based on the Copenhagen school of thought, the securitization theory is applied to examine the framing of the Iranian nuclear deal as a security threat to the United States (US). The paper examines the transition from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) to the Maximum Pressure Campaign under the Trump administration and the subsequent re-engagement efforts by the Biden administration. The research utilizes the theoretical framework of securitization to understand the securitizing actors, referent subjects, referent objects, audience, and context involved in the securitization process of the Iran nuclear deal. The paper also explores the implications of US foreign policy towards Iran's nuclear program for global nuclear non-proliferation efforts and its wider impact on US foreign policy in the Middle East. The findings contribute to a better understanding of the complexities and challenges of US foreign policy towards Iran's nuclear program, which is a key issue in international relations and nuclear non-proliferation efforts.

Analisa Faktor Penyebab Kegagalan Sister Cities di Indonesia

This study aims to analyze the failure of cooperation sister city. This research focuses on cooperation sister cities carried out by several local governments, which leads to the unsuccessful achievement of cooperation or even failure. The complexity of issues in international relations facilitates the emergence of local actors who play a role in foreign relations activities. The emergence of this sub-state actor is one of the impacts of a country's decentralization and regional autonomy policies so that the regions can participate in foreign relations. This study uses qualitative research methods through a literature review. In analyzing qualitative data, the author uses software, computer namely vosviewer. This study uses 20 journals from various cities in Indonesia that discuss the failure of sister cities. This study concludes that not all collaborations can run smoothly or as agreed. The failure occurred due to two factors, namely internal and external factors. The internal factors that occurred were the lack of communication between the two cities and the absence of significant results related to cooperation, then several external factors that occurred, such as changes in policies of the two regions, then policies at the global level impact on the state and influence local government policies.

A Bibliometric Analysis and Disruptive Innovation Evaluation for the Field of Energy Security

The field of energy security is an important, complex and evolving field with important implications at the international, national and regional levels. Considering that no scholars have conducted bibliometric studies on the current energy security field, the authors of this study chose to use a bibliometric approach to conduct a search on the Web of Science using “energy security” as the keyword, and they conducted a systematic review of 5236 papers published between 2005 and 2022 to determine the current status and development of research in the field of energy security by addressing the following six questions: (1) What are the characteristics of the types of literature in the field of energy security? (2) What are the annual publication and citation frequency trends in the field of energy security? (3) What is the distribution of source journals, countries/regions, institutions, scholars and topics in the field of energy security? (4) What are the research hotspots in the field of energy security in the recent development history? (5) What are the most influential studies and the most disruptive studies in the field of energy security? (6) What are the characteristics of the different levels of cooperation networks in the field of energy security? Finally, we concluded the following: (1) In terms of publication dynamics, the number of annual publications and the citation frequency in the field of energy security maintain an upward trend, with a large number of source journals and a wide range of topics. The number of countries, institutions and scholars involved in research in the field of energy security keeps increasing, but the cooperation is fragmented and geopolitical. (2) From the perspective of research themes, research in the field of energy security has both strong technical characteristics and is associated with social science research themes. The contradictions between energy security and social, economic, environmental, land and climate issues, the interplay between energy supply systems and complex geopolitical and international relations issues and the important role of renewable energy and related technologies in maintaining national/regional energy security are the main issues of concern to researchers. (3) In terms of research centers, although the UK and the US still retain a first-mover advantage in this field, China has gradually overtaken and has become the country with the largest output of literature in recent years. The center of research in the field has also gradually shifted from Europe and the US to the East and South Asia regions. Overall, the governance of energy security issues still requires a combination of policy, economic and technological aspects. The results will help scholars systematically understand the current status of research, research frontiers and future trends in the field of energy security.

The role of natural resources in international relations in the 20th – early 21st century

The availability of natural resources has always been one of the most important aspects of international relations, which have historically developed as a system of interconnections between different countries. However, there is a problem of natural resource scarcity in the world, thus, it is necessary to understand how markets influence national policies and how states can intervene and regulate the balance of natural resources and energy markets, which is the relevance of the study. The purpose of the study is to determine the impact of natural resources on the development of international relations in the 20th – early 21st centuries. To achieve this purpose, the study uses general scientific and special methods: historical, synchronous and diachronic, logical, analysis and synthesis, generalisation and quantitative comparison, scientific abstraction, and comparative analysis. The study established that the United States of America, South America and the Middle East had significant reserves of oil, natural gas, coal and precious metals. In addition, as noted, at the end of the 20th century, the issue of energy security was increasingly used to define international energy policy, and at the beginning of the 21st century, energy became one of the important aspects of geopolitics and an instrument of geopolitical competition. The consolidation of economic interests realised through the exploitation of natural resources is becoming the foundation for conflicts between different countries seeking to dominate the global resource market. It is established that the policy of the United States of America in the Middle East was based on an attempt to control natural resources, and in South America - on supporting its national interests. The practical significance of the study allows exploring key issues in international relations for an in-depth understanding of the balance of geopolitical forces in the 20th – early 21st centuries

Food and International Relations on digital discourse during #WorldFoodSafetyDay 2023

Food is intertwined with several facets of international relations, such as commerce, economics, security, diplomacy, culture, and the environment. Recognizing the importance of food in international relations facilitates greater mutual understanding and cooperation among nations. Researching food in international relations on social media, including Twitter, is critical, especially as the world commemorates World Food Safety Day. Therefore, this research examines the hashtag #WorldFoodSafetyDay 2023 amid diverse food crises worldwide. This study used computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software (CAQDAS), especially NVivo, to undertake a content analysis of the hashtags #WorldFoodSafetyDay, which was celebrated on June 7, 2023, to better understand the food safety social media conversation. This study discovers that the majority of #WorldFoodSafetyDay-related conversations have a positive tone. Intriguingly, even though the conversation involved accounts from all over the globe, including Indonesia, Indian Twitter accounts appeared to dominate the discussion. Researching #WorldFoodSafetyDay on Twitter will provide a new perspective on the discourse on food issues in international relations.

The main trends in the development of the Soviet-Romanian relations at the highest level in the second half of the 1970s — the first half of the 1980s

Since the beginning of the 1960s, in Romanian foreign policy, the desire to pursue a more independent course, which puts at the forefront not the interests of the entire Soviet Bloc, but national priorities, has led to a complication of relations with the Soviet Union. Differences between the two parties became most acute in August 1968, when Romania condemned the intervention of five of its Warsaw Pact allies in Czechoslovakia. In subsequent years, efforts were made from both sides to restore friendly relations between the two countries, which was manifested in the signing in 1970 of a new Soviet-Romanian treaty of friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance. The next important milestone in the development of the bilateral relations was the exchange of highest-level visits in 1976. During regular meetings, L. I. Brezhnev and N. Ceauşescu showed not only disagreements on a number of key issues of international relations (problems of disarmament, the question of the expediency of the Soviet military action of 1979 in Afghanistan), but also differences in approaches to the very principles of relations between Socialist countries. Nevertheless, the parties managed to avoid sharp conflicts. In comparison with L. I. Brezhnev, his successor Yu. V. Andropov took a tougher stance on issues that were the subject of Soviet-Romanian disagreements. A new positive turn in Soviet-Romanian relations took shape in 1984, on the very eve of Perestroika. By this time, the Soviet leadership showed a greater understanding of the motives of the Romanian official position. In addition, the deterioration of the situation in the Romanian economy increased the interest of the Romanian leadership in developing close economic ties with the USSR.

Media framing and expression of anti-China sentiment in COVID-19-related news discourse: An analysis using deep learning methods

This study focuses on news content related to China and COVID-19 during the COVID-19 pandemic and investigates how media frame, affected the emergence of anti-China sentiments through a case study of Japanese online news discourse. We collected large-scale digital trace data including online news and comments during the COVID-19 pandemic. By employing deep learning-based sentiment classifications, we were able to measure the extent of anti-China sentiments expressed through comments during the pandemic's different phases and on different types of news content. Our results provide empirical evidence that the news media's negative depictions of China and coverage related to political and international relations issues increased as the prevalence of COVID-19 in Japan increased. Importantly, since this coverage can prompt the expression of anti-China sentiment, we argue that the framing used by the media can provide discursive contexts that escalate COVID-19 issues into a broader expression of anti-China sentiment. This study not only identifies the impact of media frames on the expression of anti-China sentiment but also contributes to the development of methods for detecting public opinion and measuring the framing effect with big data and advanced computational tools.

Ukraine and Russia: From Civilized Divorce to Uncivil War by Paul D’Anieri

Reviewed by: Ukraine and Russia: From Civilized Divorce to Uncivil War by Paul D’Anieri Simone Attilio Bellezza D’Anieri, Paul. Ukraine and Russia: From Civilized Divorce to Uncivil War. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge and New York, 2019. xii + 282 pp. Maps. Tables. Notes. Index. £18.99 (paperback). This book, by Paul D’Anieri, vice president of the American Association of Ukrainian Studies, describes the gradual estrangement between Russia and Ukraine from its beginnings in the late 1980s until 2019. The author stipulates from the outset that this text is not a work of historical research but of political science, yet the volume’s eight chapters largely comprise historical narrative, rather than political science analysis. However, events are not narrated from the perspective of a historian, nor is the rationale behind what is chosen as a topic for analysis typical to a historian. Although significant proportion of the text is devoted to issues of international relations between Ukraine, Russia, the USA and the European Union, Ukraine and Russia could hardly be considered a treatise on diplomacy or the history of international relations. The gradual deterioration of Russian-Ukrainian relations is read in the broader context of Russian-Western relations at the end of the Cold War through the lens of the so-called ‘Security Dilemma’: when subjects under scrutiny perceive a danger and try to take action to shield themselves from external threats but, in doing so, only increase the perceived sense of threat from their neighbours, who in turn intensify their efforts to defend themselves in the event of an external threat, thus creating a vicious cycle that almost inevitably leads to confrontation. The story told by D’Anieri, however, is much more complicated than the simple juxtaposition of self-defence measures, as he takes pains to specify: while NATO’s expansion depended on fears that the failure of democratization in Russia rightly aroused in neighbouring states, post-Soviet Russia never accepted that Ukraine could become a distinct and independent nation-state, thus any measures aimed at founding and strengthening the Ukrainian state were (and are) perceived as a challenge to Russian supremacy in an area where Moscow believes it has complete sovereignty. Within this interpretative framework, established from the first chapter, the events of the last thirty years of Ukrainian history are examined. These events are interspersed — as already mentioned — by extensive analysis of international relations on critical issues which have created greater friction, such as Crimea, Ukraine’s renunciation of nuclear weapons and energy policy. Not being a work of historical research, this book does not offer any new insights as to how the events it describes unfolded, but the history of both the dissolution of the Soviet Union and that of post-Soviet Ukraine are masterfully summarized, demonstrating in-depth knowledge of existing scholarly literature. In presenting the history of the ‘divorce’ between Russia and Ukraine, D’Anieri rightly emphasizes the importance of Viktor Yushchenko’s [End Page 588] Orange Revolution, even going so far as to declare that ‘in some respects, the rest of this book is about the consequences of the Orange Revolution’ (p. 133). Equally acute attention is paid to the actions of Poland, which played a central role in favouring Ukraine’s rapprochement with the European Union, and to the analysis of Ukraine’s inclination to evolve towards a democratic regime. Although this topic is not completely ignored, a few more paragraphs on the evolution of Russia’s political and identity would have benefited an understanding of the conflict’s emergence, although admittedly, doing so in depth would have meant writing another book. Lastly, D’Anieri’s exercise in counterfactual history on the issue of whether war could have been avoided in 2014 is set out incredibly clearly as he highlights how the behaviours of both Viktor Yanukovych and Russia were decisive in precipitating the crisis toward armed conflict in the Ukrainian Donbas. It is, therefore, striking that in the final paragraphs, D’Anieri tries to identify possible solutions to the conflict, while admitting that Ukraine had found itself in a dead end. However, there is no suggestion that the war might escalate, showing how difficult it is, as D’Anieri...