Russia's Igor Strelkov: I Am Responsible for War in Eastern Ukraine. Sergei Karpukhin / Reuters Igor Strelkov, a former separatist commander in eastern Ukraine.
Russian national Igor Strelkov, a former commander of pro-Moscow separatists in eastern Ukraine, has claimed "personal responsibility" for unleashing the conflict across the border, in which 4,300 people have been killed since April. "I was the one who pulled the firing trigger of this war," Strelkov said in an interview published Thursday with Russia's Zavtra newspaper, which espouses imperialist views. Ultra-Nationalism and the Far Right in Ukraine (1): Victims and Heroes. Parliamentary election in Ukraine will be held on 26 October 2014.
Meanwhile, the road towards full peace in Eastern Ukraine is still uncertain, despite the 5 September Minsk protocol and its 19 September memorandum (OSCE), witness, among others, the battles for Donetsk airport and latest fighting in Luhansk or near Mariupol (OSCE SMM reports). Furthermore, on 2 November, the special status territories of the Donbass, the “self-proclaimed” Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) and Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR) will vote to elect their respective heads and representatives at the People’s Assemblies (Ria Novosti, 11 October 2014). It is thus all the more important to continue our evaluation of the state of play for the various Ukrainian actors.
Ukraine is indeed more than ever poised at a crossroad, with various forces struggling to see their objectives prevail, in a very difficult economic and international setting. around a new set of historical myths.” Conflict in Ukraine - The Far-Right (3): Parties and Battalions. After we focused, in our series on the far-right in Ukraine, first on ultra-nationalism then on the new People’s Front ultra-nationalist outlook and related potential impacts, notably regarding war in Eastern Ukraine, this last post will deal with the remaining far-right groups.
We shall first look at the way the war in Eastern Ukraine further legitimized not only far-right and nationalist groups but also their paramilitary branches. Conflict in Ukraine - The Far-Right (2): Demise or Metamorphosis? As latest events lead us to wonder if the peace process is defunct and the war in Eastern Ukraine will start again, we are continuing our analysis of the actors, focusing now on the “far-right” in Ukraine.
We do not deal here with the “pro-Russian/Slavic ultra-nationalist”, to use Shekhovtsov (2013) categorization. Having addressed with the previous article the content of Ukrainian nationalism and ultra-nationalism, we shall now turn to the representative power those groups hold, or not, as demonstrated through the 26 October 2014 parliamentary election. We shall also point out a novel, potentially escalating fact: the integration of armed volunteer battalions in political parties. What Ukraine means for how we study war. By Joshua Rovner August 4 An armored personnel carrier flying Ukraine’s flag and a Ukrainian tank, from a convoy of the Ukrainian forces, drive toward the eastern Ukrainian city of Lysychansk on July 25.
(Genya Savilov/AFP/Getty Images) Last week Marc Lynch wrote a thoughtful commentary on the future of political science after Gaza. He noted that while the ongoing violence seems very familiar, it actually suggests a number of new questions for political scientists who focus on the Arab-Israeli dispute. These include everything from the limits of transnational moral campaigns to the future of U.S alliance relations in the region.
German Deputy of Bundestag: Frau Merkel, you lie to the people of Germany about Ukraine! Running Guns From Ukraine to Syria is Getting Complicated. NATO and Ukraine: Walking Familiar Ground. While in some ways the actors and scene are different, the basic dynamics of the Ukraine crisis are very old, not just for NATO, but for alliances in general.
States seek to ensure their national security at the lowest cost possible. The costs in this case differ among NATO’s North American members, for whom the crisis fits in a larger global context; its Western European members, whose primary stake appears to be economic; and its Central and Eastern European members, whose security interests are most directly affected by Russia’s Ukrainian adventure. Alliance members’ national interests often differ – crises highlight these differences. This variation in interests suggests that the wider effects of the Ukraine situation depend largely on the United States’ ability to strike a balance among reassuring friends, alarming Russia, and encouraging free riding among allies.
This collective action argument is powerful, and its implications present a dilemma for the United States. Secret Cable Reveals Russia Warned US in 2008 Meddling in Ukraine Could Split Country. MOSCOW, May 13 (RIA Novosti) – A secret cable released by Wikileaks on Tuesday revealed that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned Washington as far back as 2008 that US-EU-NATO meddling in Ukraine could split the country in two.
"Following a muted first reaction to Ukraine's intent to seek a NATO Membership Action Plan (MAP) at the Bucharest summit (ref A), Foreign Minister Lavrov and other senior officials have reiterated strong opposition, stressing that Russia would view further eastward expansion as a potential military threat," said the 2008 cable classified by William Burns, than US Ambassador to Moscow and currently the US Deputy Secretary of State. “NATO enlargement, particularly to Ukraine, remains ‘an emotional and neuralgic’ issue for Russia, but strategic policy considerations also underlie strong opposition to NATO membership for Ukraine and Georgia. Burns’ remarkable insight, perception and understanding of the regional complexities continued:
Why did Yanukovych change his mind? Nazi highjack of Euromaidan. Swedish Neo-Nazis. New Fascist government. US financing the coup. Crimea and geostrategy. Gas game. Putin's powerplay. Leaks and hacks. Tymoshemko is back. Snipers.