Grist to Putin’s Mills
“Plural Peace” as a Russia First “Ostpolitik”
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
Matthias Dembinski and Hans-Joachim Spanger fail to understand the nature of the Putin system. In their call for dissociation between the West and Russia, the peace researchers, referring to John Rawls, promote the acknowledgement of the principles of justice and order. However, Russia’s leadership refuses to recognise the sovereignty of Ukraine or Georgia, intervenes militarily in those countries, violates international treaties and agreements such as the Charter of Paris or the Budapest Memorandum, rejects fundamental human rights and restricts basic civic rights. It is naïve to expect that Russia’s leadership will act according to international law when it is given the right of veto in European affairs and the zone of influence it claims is recognised.
(Osteuropa 3-4/2017, pp. 129–131)