Crimea

Saving Lives in the Crimean War: “They Are My Sons”

by Bruce Chadwick

A review of Marys Seacole. 

Henry Kissinger 'advises Trump to accept' Crimea as part of Russia

Kissinger proposes we swap support for Crimea takeover for Russian agreement to withdraw troops from rest of Ukraine.

Crimean treasures should return to Ukraine says Dutch court

On loan when Russian forces took control of Crimea in 2014, the collection was assembled from four museums and represented fragments of the ancient empires that used the region as a trade crossroads.

Putin Is Responding to the West's Pressure as We Would Respond

by William Polk

Our interests are best served by the establishment and continuation of healthy, independent and progressive nation states -- both Russia and Ukraine; not two states at daggers drawn.

Conflict Uncovers a Ukrainian Identity Crisis Over Deep Russian Roots

Kiev feels like a Russian city, architecturally and linguistically. But recent months brought subtle changes. The young consider speaking Ukrainian cool. Some older Ukrainians have adopted the attitude that Russia does not own the culture.

America is Not Superman

by Jim Sleeper

Why the pundits were wrong.

Timothy Garton Ash remembers an appearance by Putin at a conference in 1994 that's eye-opening

by Timothy Garton Ash

"The name of this irritating little man was — you guessed it — Vladimir V. Putin."

Russia’s sacred land

by Peter Turchin

To understand Crimea, we need an evolutionary theory of national honour. It’s irrational and deadly – but it works.

The Bright Spot in the Ukraine Crisis Nobody's Noticed

by Steven Beller and Ian Reifowitz

If you had to choose between Putin's Russia and the EU, which would you pick?

Why the Second World War Never Ended for Ukraine

by Juliane Fuerst

Acknowledgement of imperfect pasts on both sides of Ukraine might generate a bit more understanding for the complexity of individual motivations.

Putin Should Come Down to Earth After Crimea

by Mark N. Katz

The following is a memo that President Vladimir Putin's staff should send him if they were exercising due diligence.

What If historian Timothy Snyder is Wrong About Ukraine?

by Jim Sleeper

While Snyder is surely right to remind us that most Ukrainian nationalists aren’t fascists, as Putin claims, that doesn’t make them as democratic and freedom-loving as Snyder keeps telling us.

Fired Russian Historian Says East Ukraine Referendums 'Make No Sense'

Prominent Russian historian Andrei Zubov has dismissed the self-rule referendums in eastern Ukraine.

Whose Advice Should You Trust on Ukraine?

by Walter Moss

Beware of the unwise know-it-alls.

The Abuse of History in the Ukrainian Crisis

by Marco Siddi

By invoking inflammatory slogans like “Putin is Hitler” and “Ukrainians are fascists”, both Russian and western leaders distort the realities of 21st Century Ukraine.

Are We Starting Another Cold War over Russian Actions in Ukraine?

by Walter Moss

The most basic Ukrainian problem is not Russian interference in Ukrainian affairs—which no doubt exists—but the absence of a strong national consensus among Ukrainians.

Seeds of Discord in Ukraine

by Scott Reynolds Nelson

Yes, Ukraine is rife with ethnic and nationalist frictions. But underlying its strife are its wheat fields.

Before Crimea Was an Ethnic Russian Stronghold, It Was a Potential Jewish Homeland

by Jeffrey Veidlinger

Soon after Catherine the Great conquered the region from the Ottoman Empire in 1783, she opened it up to Jewish settlement, hoping that the Jews would serve as a bulwark against the Turks.

Putin, Man of Mystery? Hardly.

by Mark D. Steinberg

Putin often speaks quite openly of his motives and values—and opinion polls suggest he is strongly in sync with widespread popular sentiments.

If You’re Surprised by Putin’s Move in Crimea You’ve Not Been Paying Attention

by Dr. David Stefancic

What Putin is doing is simply falling in step with a long line of Great Russian leaders.