It goes without saying that Russia's invasion of Ukraine is wrong, violates the UN Charter, and cannot be justified under international law. Yet still we must ask: where is the path towards ending this conflict and the horrors being faced by Ukrainians?
C.J. Polychroniou is a political economist/political scientist who has taught and worked in numerous universities and research centers in Europe and the United States. His latest books are The Precipice: Neoliberalism, the Pandemic and the Urgent Need for Social Change , and Economics and the Left: Interviews with Progressive Economists .
But let’s start with Crimea. For whatever reason, Crimea was gifted from Soviet Russia to Soviet Ukraine in 1954. Interestingly enough, the overwhelming majority of the population of Crimea in the 1950s was ethnic Russian and there was still an ethnic Russian majority of over 60 percent in 2014. It should also be pointed out that the Crimean Peninsula has always been a strategically vital location on the Black Sea.
From the perspective of the Kremlin, what NATO was up to amounted to an “encirclement” of Russia. Indeed, it shouldn’t be difficult to understand why Russian leaders felt this way, and there is no doubt that US officials knew all along that they were crossing Russia’s red lines on NATO expansion. many top-level diplomats and academic experts had predicted that NATO’s provocative actions would lead to warHaving said that, it goes without saying of course that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is wrong, violates the UN Charter and cannot be justified under international law. Moreover, Russia could easily be charged with war crimes for the Ukraine invasion.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Not dead yet: World can’t quit fossil fuels yet, Egyptian minister saysThe world may be on an irreversible march toward clean energy, but the past year has brought with it a sobering reminder that 21st-century economies cannot function for the foreseeable future without oil, natural gas and other fossil fuels, said Egyptian Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Tarek El Molla.
Read more »
Ukraine says Bakhmut battle pins down Russia's best unitsUkraine has decided to fight on in the ruined city of Bakhmut because the battle there is pinning down Russia's best units and degrading them ahead of a planned Ukrainian spring counter-offensive, an aide to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said.
Read more »
Ex-Ukraine Prez Faces Trial in Absentia Over Russia FlightViktor Yanukovych, who became the president of Ukraine in 2010, is accused of “organizing the illegal transfer of persons across the state border of Ukraine” after fleeing to Russia in the wake of the Euromaidan protests on Feb. 23, 2014.
Read more »
Live updates: Russia's war in Ukraine, missile strikes cause mass power cutsNearly half a million people are without power in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, following the latest barrage of Russian strikes, according to the regional governor. Follow live updates:
Read more »
Russia fires hypersonic missiles in wave attacks on UkraineRussia fired an 'unusually large' number of Kh-47M2 Kinzhal hypersonic missiles as part of a wave of long-range airstrikes that targeted critical Ukrainian infrastructure and killed at least 11 civilians, British defense officials said Friday.
Read more »
Russia used hypersonic missiles in its latest barrage across UkraineRussian forces launched dozens of strikes on Thursday across Ukraine in what was one of the largest barrages of strikes in weeks.
Read more »