Lessons from the Ukraine Conflict
Against the Stockholm Syndrome of the Putin-Sensitive
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
Views on Russia’s policy in Ukraine differ. The behaviour of the Putin system is interpreted sometimes as defensive, sometimes as offensive, sometimes as situational and motivated by domestic considerations. Each interpretation brings with it a different argument as to how the West should respond to Russia: by détente, by containment and deterrence, or by promoting regime change from within. The European Union, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, and the United States must agree on which commitments they aspire to with regard to Russia, Ukraine, and other post-Soviet states. The key to regime change in Russia lies in the success of Ukraine’s transformation. The conflict in Ukraine teaches us how necessary it is to agree in advance on the consequences of breaking the rules.
(Osteuropa 4/2015, pp. 3–23)