The document discusses the Ukraine crisis between Russia and Western countries in 2014. It summarizes that former Ukrainian president Yanukovych abandoned a trade deal with the EU in favor of an investment agreement with Russia, sparking mass protests. Russia then annexed Crimea after a referendum, threatening Ukraine's territorial integrity. The crisis highlighted a power struggle between Russia seeking to maintain influence and the West supporting Ukrainian sovereignty. International relations theories of realism and defensive/offensive approaches help explain Russia's aggressive actions under Putin to regain regional power lost after the Soviet Union's collapse.

1. ANI AKGUMUS
INSTRUCTOR: SHAHIN BERENJI
WORLD POLITICS
Ukraine crisis: Russia's Power Struggle with
the West in the 21st Century
In November last year, former president of Ukraine, Yanukovych gave up trade
agreement with European Union and decided to make investment agreement with
Russia which is worth 15 billon dollars. Yanukovych’s decision led to crisis in
Ukraine and this situation turned into a power struggle between United States,
European Union and Russia.
Apart from the economy, identity and domestic politics, Ukraine crisis also can
be seen as the struggle of great powers. Yanukovych government route of an
agreement with Russiacaused public outrage and government changed with street
protests. West supported these protests at all stages however, Russia’s first major
response was the deployment Russian troops in the Crimea. Result of an
international unacceptable referendum, Crimean Parliament declared that
participation with Russia, the crisis has been moved up a level. This situation is a
threat for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and Western countries aims to Russia’s
step back alongside the diplomatic efforts, they are using economic sanctions.
During the 1772-1795 Lehistan’s disintegration, Russia gained dominance over

2. the Ukraine and Ukraine joined USSR in 1922 and gained independence in
1991.Former US National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski asserted that the
importance of Ukraine for Russia “ Russia will remain Eurasian country without
Ukraine. If Russia gain controlover Ukraine, due to 52 million people, resources
and the access to the Black Sea, Russiaautomatically will bea very powerful state
in the Europe-Asia axis.” Putin understood that he lost Ukraine to the Western
countries and he took over Crimea to access Black Sea. ForPutin, there is a threat
perception because of NATO and European Union expansion.
After the Cold War, implementation of democracy was problematical. “Orange
Revolution” occurred during 2004-2005 presidential elections. Candidates
political struggle turned into tension with alleged fraud in the election. Elections
had resulted with the Yushchenko’s victory which symbolized color of
orange.Therefore Yushchenko’s win mean Kremlin’s loss. Orange revolution
began with the promise of European integration however, brought their end with
corruption and political conflicts. In 2010 elections, Yanukovych won the
competition and which means Russia took backUkraine from Western side.
In 2013, Yanukovych’s Ukraine could not get rid of the corruptions and also
public opinion about joining the European Union was growing and their argument
was “for a better future”. Yanukovych’ hesitation about joining the Europen
Union resulted with the public demonstrations. Western leaders emphasized that
protester’s demands are legitimate and they were involved the conflict instead of
remain silence.

3. In the international system, there are unitary actors which are states and using
international relations theories can be useful tool when analyzing crisis between
great powers. These theories are based on a number of assumptions which may
contribute to the analysis of the Ukrainian crisis. Defensive and offensive
approaches which are part of the neo-realism, and these approaches admits that
international structure is anarchic and they are concerns about questions like how
states survive in this structure, how much power states need. The main goals for
these approaches areexistence ofstate and gaining power. Their difference is how
much power states should have. When the accept assumption that revealing the
power of state to the climax depend on state’ existence and preserving power,
Russia’s aggressive approach can be understand. In other words, Russia sent
troops to the Crimea to gain relative power against West when after the lost her
position in Ukraine. In addition, Russia using ethnic ties for a strategy in the
eastern region of Ukraine to gain pro- Russian region. We can understand Putin’s
aggressive approachwith direct actions in Crimea and indirect actions in Ukraine.
Therefore, sending troops eastern Ukraine and making show of strength with
military exercise also indicates that Putin’s offensive approach.
Since 2000 when Putin came power, he is using military, economic and political
tools to gain relative power in the regional and global relations. In the political
crisis experienced with Europehe used Europe’s energy dependenceas a weapon,
against Georgia he sent troops in SouthOssetia and to choosethe military conflict
in Abkhazia, and to continue to supportthe Assad regime in the Syrian civil war

4. during the Arab Spring and he is continue to prevent international military
intervention which lead to government changing. Because ofhaving military basis
in Syria and strategic importance of the region Putin won’tgive up his advantages
and interests over the Syria. In summary, becauseof the collapse of Soviet Union
and as a result of unipolarity in the international system Putin wanted to increase
Russia’s power once again in the region and the international system with
imposing his offensive policies. Thus, Putin continuing the aggressive policies in
the Ukraine crisis and wants to see what kind of behavior Western would insert
in Ukraine. On the other hand it may be useful defensive approach in
understanding the crisis.The West's responseto Putin's see where these countries
in Russia’s sphere of influence and is perceived by aggressive efforts to integrate
into the Western system and remove from the Russian orbit requires taking
position against it. When we look at Putin’s perspective and assuming that he has
defensive approach, there is a Western hegemony especially United States and
this situation is opposite of Cold War era. So that, real politics is still effective
and games that played in the Russian geography always seems to be zero sum.
Cold War winner United States also did unilateral interventions in Iraq and
Afghanistan, and made strategies for NATO which are expansion of east and
increased NATO’s assigned positions, between 2004-2007 European Union
expansion over the Eastern Europe states, supporting Georgia against
Russia and finally international intervention in the Libya Arab Spring process.On
the basis of military or political strategy pursued by Putin, rather than attempt to

5. make changes in the international system with a revisionist approach ; regional
and international development of the Western powers may be claimed as the
success of the decision-making process out of Russia. Therefore, annexation of
Crimea’s to Russia is a defensive reflex against to Western countries. However,
Putin’s these offensive attitudes costs arehighly destructive for Russian economy.
In November, Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said that falling oil prices
and Western Country’s economic sanctions are caused 140 billion dollars damage
in the economy. With this situation we see that importance of international
cooperations and international organizations are highly effective in international
system to coerce and deter Russia’s actions. On the other hand, in the Crimea
Ukrainian currency hryvnia removed and they began to use Russian currency
ruble, states institutions reconstructed with Russian law and these situations we
realize that how Moscow taking this annexation as a serious issue. Crimean
people okay with this changes because they wanted to be a part of Russia with
referendum and separate from Ukraine. So, historical backgrounds, identities,
ethnic are important reason why Crimea choseto be a part of Russia.
According to the famous American statesman Henry Kissinger, the following
principles should betaken into consideration in orderto prevent further deepening
of the crisis in Ukraine and Crimea; Ukrainian people should decide for itself that
partnership agreement with whom, Ukraine should not join NATO, the Ukrainian
people must beable to bring to power a government that they want and Ukrainian
governments in a manner similar to Finland while improving its relations with

6. Europe and the West, not enmity to Russia and Russia should stop to annex
Crimea. We should also consider the conceptofself determination. However, self
determination in the content, difficult to accept internationally for everyone.
Therefore, the countries of the world can not meet at least for now a common
point of international law and policy, this absence of commonconsensus creating
power policy based on international system.
Vladimir Putin said that dedicated his life to his country and recent years Putin
developed balance strategy country against United States’ power. This strategy is
different from previous color revolutions strategies because it is based on soft
power. In general, Russia is pro-military power or with natural gas card aligned
neighboring countries. However, after the USSR with the Putin, this time for the
first time. Russia became super power in the world politics and succeed to use
soft power. Putin’s thoughts against American exceptionalism and his right
arguments , succeed to being
spokes man other dissatisfied countries.
In conclusion, after the collapse of Soviet Union, Russia faced with the
geopolitical collapse and with the leadership of Putin began to recovery. But
Putin’s recovery steps is more likely preserving Russian dominance in the close
circle, region. The absence of Russia’s ideological attraction and perceived by
others as a bad copy of Western capitalism creating bad image in the region
country’s people. Putin’s strong leadership now is facing with problems and there
are also some signals that can be perceived as a negative for the future. Therefore,

7. the Russian Federation in the 21st century to be more ambitious than the
substantial geopolitical moves such as the Eurasian Union, Russia should create
strong argument and ideologies against United Stated and Western for the
opponents of these countries.