The Tripartite Realist War: Analysing Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine

Description

The book offers a detailed analysis on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. A book needs to be written on this to make sense, from a theoretical perspective, why this invasion has occurred and what the main actors are pursuing. The originality rests on testing main international relations theories: realism, liberalism and constructivism to the war that emerges with the practices and approaches during the Cold War to date from the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), the Soviet Union (and now Russia) and Ukraine. The monograph commences with a historical overview of NATO and how it has engaged in expansionism policy to further contain Russia in contemporary international affairs with the accession of additional former Soviet states. This helps to explain the current Russian invasion of Ukraine that would attract great readership. The main argument presented rests on the pursuance of realist interests by NATO, Ukraine and Russia for containment, national security interests and as a response to the security dilemma respectively. This has served as the main catalyst of this conflict that has made diplomacy, international law and collective security measures problematic to implement. Preface Contents About the Author Abbreviations 1 Introduction References 2 Main International Relations Theories An Explanation of Realism Political/Classical Realism Neorealism: Offensive and Defensive Realists Realist Ethics Justification and Summary of Realism An Explanation of Liberalism Democratic Peace Theory and Cosmopolitanism Neoliberalism, Regime Theory and Institutional Liberalism The Responsibility to Protect Summary of Liberalism Constructivism: An Alternative Explanation Conventional Constructivism National Interest and US Exceptionalism Norms, Language and Social Constructs An Alternative of Realist Assumptions of the Security Dilemma Summary of Constructivism Contributions of International Relations Theory References 3 NATO During the Cold War and Dissolution of the Soviet Union Formation of NATO The Counterbalancing Warsaw Pact The Economic and Political Demise of the Soviet Union NATO’s Expansionism and Containment of Russia References 4 Ukrainian Desire for Political Autonomy and NATO Accession Orange Revolution NATO Membership Action Plan and National Security Strategy Western Support for Ukraine United States Motives of the War Russian Opposition Towards American and NATO Interventionism References 5 Russian Responses, the Invasion, Sanctions and International Law Russian Retaliation Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine: February 2022 Just War Debate International Condemnation of the Invasion and Western Sanctions International Law Efforts References 6 Conclusion References Bibliography Index