The Crimean Nexus: Putin’s War and the Clash of Civilizations

The West “sleepwalked” into the present Ukrainian crisis, according to policy analyst and Crimean native Pleshakov (There Is No Freedom Without Bread!). Ukraine—unevenly influenced by European, Russian, and Turkic cultures—became an unstable “state without a nation” after the Soviet Union’s collapse. Advocates for NATO enlargement then stoked Russian resentment and insecurities over the “near abroad” regarded as their sphere of influence. Pleshakov lucidly outlines Ukrainian history and recent precarious status as an oligarch-dominated borderland. He asserts that America’s clumsy intervention in Ukraine’s 2013–14 political crisis prompted Russia’s aggressive response. He then considers Crimea, a virtual island in the Black Sea, which was casually attached to Ukraine during the Soviet era. For Russians, Crimea is a “fetish,” evoking strong cultural and historical associations and strategic ambitions for ports and pipelines. After presenting Russia’s motivations, Pleshakov explains how it conquered Crimea in a “hybrid war” of commandos, cyber-attacks, and para-military groups that paralyzed the Ukrainian “failing state.” Yet the Kremlin “miscalculated” by subsequently promoting the separatist insurgency in Ukraine’s Donbass region, leading to sanctions and unleashing “violent rabble” who may someday threaten Putin. Pleshakov skillfully argues that NATO’s ill-considered encouragement of pro-Western factions weakens the alliance by revealing its limited will and ability to respond to resulting crises. [em](Jan.) [/em]