Gravariti, Maria

2023-05-11T09:49:48Z

https://repository.ihu.edu.gr//xmlui/handle/11544/30236

Annexation

The Dialogue Between the Deaf and the Dumb: The Geopolitics Behind Russia’s Annexation in Crimea

2023-05-08

free

School of Humanities, MA in Black Sea & Eastern Mediterranean Studies

This paper covers the geopolitical controversy of the West and Russia which led to the annexation in Crimea in 2014 by Russia. The Western geopolitical perspective is based on the classical geopolitical theories of Mackinder, Spykman, Kennan, Mahan and Brzezinski. The main goal of the West is to hinder Russian expansionism, therefore, NATO and EU expansion is a vital solution for the West. On the other hand, Russia’s geopolitics is based on the theory of Eurasianism as it is presented by Dugin and Gumilev, supporting Russia’s exceptionalism. Russia aims at becoming the center of Eurasia with a distinct history and identity , totally distanced from the West. Ukraine is considered to be a buffer zone for both sides. For the West, Ukraine is a pivotal area whose control would hinder Russian expansion ,while for Russia, Ukraine’s sovereignty would pose a security threat to Russia. In order to examine this geopolitical controversy which led to the Crimean Crisis in 2014, it was important to mention the historical background of the peninsula highlighting its importance with the passage of time. Moreover, the political and ideological developments in Russia and Ukraine prior to the Russian annexation in 2014 is being analyzed to evaluate the internal factors that led to the climax of this crisis.

Wildangel, Rene

ihu

Russia