‍Central Asia and The Caucasus Journal

Abstract Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 not only damaged Ukraine’s economy but also put so much pressure on Russia and European countries in gas trade due to the loss of big trade partners. This article aims to answer two main questions: 1- What are the impacts of Russia and Ukraine’s war on the United States and the European Union in the energy area? 2-Does it impact the position of Iran in the energy part in global markets? This research has been done based on the narrative review approach. The findings show the gradual loss of former position in global markets for Ukraine, Russia, and the European Union and the increasing dependency of European countries on the United States in the energy area. If European countries avoid cooperating with huge oil and gas resource-owning countries like Iran, besides aggravating their dependency on the United States, they deprive themselves of cheaper energy resources.

Abstract The separation of Crimea from Ukraine and its annexation to the territory of the Russian Federation in 2014 and the special military operations of the Russians against this country since February 2022 as linguistic symptoms suggest that Russia is seeking to expand its sphere of influence in the foreign region as much as possible؛ It is close and at the same time preventing the presence of the West in NATO in order to increase its security factor in it. Therefore, due to the fundamental difference in linguistic symptoms, the confrontation between Russia and Ukraine has not only not decreased, but has also developed strongly in the West's support for Ukraine's policies. On the other hand, considering that the issue of discretion or the will of Russian policymakers in the post-historical world is still based on two elements of historical (geopolitical) and ideological mentality in the region, it has eliminated the possibility of a quick regional solution against Russia's interests. Having said that, the question of the article is expressed in this way that according to the will of the power to develop the foundation with different forms of linguistic text; What has been the consequence of deconstruction against the interests of Russia by Ukraine in the near abroad? With the help of linguistic propositions, the answer to this conflict is proposed in such a way that Ukraine's attempt to separate from the centralist regional security complex led by Russia has the same consequences as the separation of the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine and the declaration of independence of the Russian-inhabited regions and the tearing of this country into pieces in 2023 had. The method of writing the article is explanatory-analytical and the necessary information has been collected using library sources.

Abstract The Russia-Ukraine war began on February 25, 2022, after months of tension and the presence of Russian military forces on the border of Ukraine, with the order of the Russian president's all-out military attack. Putin's justifications for the military attack on "special military operations" in Donbas and the non-occupation of Ukraine by Russia were based on humanitarian intervention due to the commission of the crime of genocide by the Ukrainian government in the east of this country. But Putin's most important justification is based on individual legitimate defense in advance due to imminent threats from Ukraine and NATO, and collective legitimate defense in support of the self-proclaimed states of the Donbas region, which Russia previously recognized as independent states. Had been recognized and a treaty of friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance was established with the leaders of Donetsk and Luhansk. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine the war between Russia and Ukraine from the perspective of the right to resort to force. Therefore, this research seeks to answer the question: Are Russian legal arguments for resorting to force justified from the point of view of international law? is The research method of this article is descriptive-analytical and the method of collecting information is library-reference. The findings of the research indicate that Russia violates the rules of international law and the right to territorial integrity and political independence of Ukraine, and Russia's reasons for legitimizing military aggression against Ukraine are not justified.

Abstract Conflicts and many of the states’ actions can be analyzed through the theory of ontological security. Sometimes, states take measures which endanger their physical and realistic security. States confront disdain through honor seeking actions. The main question of the present research state: how ontological security triggered Russia to start the war with Ukraine? To answer this question, the hypothesis of the research states that neglecting Russia’s existential security borders from the West – within the form of NATO – led Russia to extensive military conflict with Ukraine in order to remind the West of its existential security borders. In the present research, data gathering method has been based on internet and library documents and the research has been conducted on the basis of descriptive-analytical approach. The findings of the research shows that Russia-Ukraine war has risen within the theoretical framework of ontological security which is based on Eurasianism and Russian nationalism and geopolitics that shape Russia’s biographic narrative. Russia’s attack on Ukraine is considered to be an honorable action to refrain from shame and disdain.
 

Abstract Although the conflict between Russia and Ukraine is mostly interpreted based on geopolitical propositions such as NATO’s expansion towards the Eastern Europe, the cultural identity and the inference of the political elites in both countries also play a significant role in escalating this battle. In some cases, the way of interpreting identities, which are defined on the basis of a sense of individual affection to the society or a specific group according to a set of cultural and social features such as religion and language, has been influential in creating friction in human societies. In addition to expansion of “self and the other” in the mental situation of the citizens, this interpretation has a great impact on the perception of politicians about their ego and its function in relation to other countries. Meanwhile, the conceptual dimensions of this research have been based on cultural revanchism and radicalism. In order to answer the main question of the research, a descriptive-analytical method has been used and the data has been gathered through library and statistical resources. The findings of the present research indicate that reactional policies of both parties regarding one another and in ties with past humiliations and present threats have roots in “contradictory and converging” Russian and Ukrainian cultural identities. These roots, within the framework of historical, ethnic, lingual and religious perceptions, pave the way for escalating the current conflict between the two countries.

Abstract Russia's massive invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and the severe financial sanctions imposed against Moscow have not only had an economic impact on Russia; but, the consequence of this crisis has also affected the international economy, including America and Europe’s markets. The inflation caused by the Ukraine crisis, which has currently disrupted most of the world's economies, including the United States and Europe, is constantly increasing due to the sharp increase in the prices of oil, gas, industrial and agricultural products. This article tries to examine the economic impact of the war between Russia and Ukraine in 2022 on the key players of the global economy, especially the United States and Europe, which have imposed severe financial sanctions against Russia. Therefore, the main question of this research is: What effect will the Russia – Ukraine war have on the international economy, especially for the U.S. and Europe?
The hypothesis of the research is that given the fact that the conflict in Ukraine has the political and military dimensions, the leaders of these countries have prioritized the political issues over the economic issues in their decision making process to address this crisis. This has caused the economy to be affected again by high politics issues and faced stagnation and increase in global prices which once was considered as a low politics during the Cold War and then, it became more relevant in the decision-making process of governments after the Cold War.
This paper has applied the descriptive-analytical method to analyze the data.

Abstract Although the war in Ukraine is geopolitically a North-North war or Europe's concern but in effect, it is a great power competition between major world powers which is a manifestation of anticipated decline of U.S. hegemony and openly challenging the Pax Americana. In such a situation, the attitude, conduct and performance of involved actors in the war could have a critical consequence for the future of world politics.
This research seeks to apply the future research methodology and the scenario planning techniques to analyze the Russia – Ukraine war and answer these questions: what will be the future scenarios of the Russia – Ukraine war? What consequences this war might have for the future of the international system? Accordingly , 4 scenarios  could be proposed in 3 categories: a) Favorable scenario: Russia-China political-military alliance; containing the US and NATO and changing the rules of the international game; B) Probable scenarios: 1) peace agreement (with the role of actors such as China, Turkey, Israel, France) and changing the order of the structure of the international system, 2) the continuation of war and the continuation of tension in the international order; C) Possible scenario: the risk of nuclear war. The findings of the present study show that the war in Ukraine as a turning point / stimulus affects the international order and after the war in Ukraine, the international system will enter a new era. The implications of this war on the international level will be the polarization of international security and the geopoliticization of international politics. This war has also strengthened the leadership position of the United States at the global level, at the expense of its European partners. 

Abstract The 2014 Ukraine crisis which started by Russia pressuring Ukraine not to join the free trade agreement with the EU and ultimately led to the annexation of the Crimean Peninsula to the Russian Federation, flamed the tension between Russia and the West. The implications of the annexation and the mutual sanctions by Russia and the West resulted in downgrading relations to the lowest level in last 25 years. This situation conjured up the Cold War conflicts and rivalries. The main goal of this paper is to answer the question what are the consequences of annexation of Crimea by Russia and the subsequent sanctions for the actors involved in the 2014 Ukrainian crisis? The findings of the present article utilizing international political economy show that the annexation of Crimea to the Russian Federation and the following sanctions have had a host of negative consequences for Ukraine, Russia, the EU, the US, and the NATO in various dimensions.

Abstract   Strategic culture is the consequence of historical experiences. Since these experiences are different in each country, therefore different states have different strategic cultures. The other fact is that there is a deep relationship among strategic culture, strategic behavior and geopolitical codes. Ukraine also has its certain strategic culture against its historical experiences, political strategy and geography. In order to explain and understand strategic decisions and geopolitical codes in Ukraine, adequate attention should be paid to structural circumstances and causes of international politics, as well as rules, intentions and goals and their background. The main question of the present article is about the impact of strategic culture on geopolitical codes of Ukraine’s foreign policy? Ukraine’s strategic culture includes vulnerable social structure, ethnic – linguistic gap, as well as geopolitical and geostrategic features such as Atlanticism accompanied by an attempt to get free from Russian dominance, being the subject of rivalry between Russia and European Union, geo-economic dependence. These features have a deep impact on Ukraine’s strategic decision making and behavioral model in foreign policy arena and international environment, preventing the provision of geopolitical codes that lead to its foreign policy interests. Bearing in mind that strategic culture paves the ground for understanding geopolitical codes for each actor, the necessity of understanding Ukraine’s strategic culture, also becomes understandable. The authors use analytical – explanatory method to find the answer for the literature’s question. 

Abstract Political tendencies of Soviet republics can be divided in the following categories after the collapse of the USSR: centralism and pursuing politics in line with Russia; Anti- Russian politics and western oriented approach; intermediate approach. Due to its geostrategic and geopolitical significance, Ukraine is converted to an area of conflict between Russia and the west. Why Ukraine is so important in Russia’s geopolitical vision and political security? And why Russia’s security is influenced by Ukraine? The hypothesis of this article is that in its security policymaking in post-historical era, Russia still emphasizes on two elements of ‘historical mentality” and “geopolitics”; therefore it sees a linkage between its neighboring’s geopolitical codes and its interests. That is the reason why Ukraine has a pivotal role for Russia. 

Abstract Separation of Crimea from Ukraine and its reunification with the territory of Russian Federation is the result of political and military competition and the geopolitics of West and Russian under the leadership of Putin. In this campaign, Russia aims to extend its influence over the neighborhood which had lost due to the collapse of the Soviet Union. Ukraine crisis changed the balance of power in favor of the West and strengthened the European Union and extended NATO borders. In fact, Russia is considered as the geopolitical loser of this crisis, since without Ukraine, Russia’s efforts to revive the empire will be devoid of geopolitical influence. The present paper aims to investigate the factors affecting the separation of Crimea from Ukraine and its reunification with Russia. In this case, the question that arises is that what factors induced Russia to invade Crimea and annexed it. In response, we hypothesize that the reason for there unification of Crimea with Russia is West threatening acts. However, Russia’s cultural and historical claims toward Crimea played a role in this issue. In this paper, we have attempted to investigate the extension of NATO and European Union to the traditional domain of Russia, viz. Ukraine, based on the analytical and descriptive method and using the balance of threat (BoT) theory of Stephen M. Walt.