Tag: Ukraine

Frieden am Ende? Die Eskalation im Russland-Ukraine-Konflikt und die Rolle der Friedenspolitik

Written on 24. February 2022. Posted in Deutsch, Russia-Ukraine War, Series.

Russland hat den Krieg begonnen. Der Angriff auf die Ukraine und die Anerkennung der „Volksrepubliken“ Donezk und Luhansk sind ein offener Bruch des Völkerrechts und eine machtpolitische Aggression gegen die bestehende Weltordnung. Die unmittelbaren Opfer sind die Menschen in der Ukraine. Die Kritik und Erbitterung des Westens ist groß. Ebenso die Enttäuschung über das Scheitern der eigenen Deeskalationsbemühungen. Ist mit dem Frieden auch die Friedens- und Sicherheitspolitik am Ende? Und mehr noch: War der Kurs der Vergangenheit, auf Diplomatie, Ausgleich und gemeinsame Sicherheit zu setzen verkehrt, wie jetzt von vielen behauptet wird?

A new Sino-Russian Entente? The limits of cooperation on Ukraine and beyond

Written on 18. February 2022. Posted in English, PRIF Spotlight, Russia-Ukraine War, Series.

As the military standoff over Ukraine continues, both sides have attempted to mobilize international support for their respective positions. While Kiev has received increasingly robust NATO backing, Russia has turned to its “strategic partner” China. A recently published joint Sino-Russian statement has fueled speculation that Beijing could weigh in on Moscow’s side and perhaps even lead to the resurgence of competition between ideological blocs in world politics. However, diverging interests on Ukraine limit such cooperation in the short term. A long-term alignment between both sides is a more serious possibility, but can still be influenced by Western policy choices.

Die Ukraine-Krise: von der Deeskalation zur Konfliktlösung?

Written on 17. February 2022. Posted in Deutsch, Russia-Ukraine War, Series.

Nach Wochen kontinuierlich steigender Spannungen zeichnet sich aktuell mit Russlands Ankündigung eines partiellen Truppenabzugs eine moderate Entspannung, vielleicht gar so etwas wie eine Trendumkehr ab. Dennoch stehen sich die Positionen beider Seiten, der NATO und der Ukraine auf der einen sowie Russlands auf der anderen, nach zahllosen Gesprächsrunden unverändert unvereinbar gegenüber. Um aus der Konfrontationslogik auszusteigen, bedarf es einer prozessualen Lösung, die sowohl den Konflikt im Osten der Ukraine als auch die Stellung Russlands im Gefüge der europäischen Sicherheit adressiert.

The Russian Military Build-Up Near the Ukrainian Border: Offensive Intentions or Diplomatic Signaling?

Written on 8. December 2021. Posted in English.

The recent build-up of Russian troops on the border to Ukraine is making waves in the political debate. Predominant views in the West share the assumption that Russia has offensive intentions and aims at revising the established status quo. This blog post argues that Moscow’s motives are not as straightforward as usually assumed in the West. In fact, Russia’s military behavior and its crisis diplomacy suggests that Moscow is more interested in sending a signal than in preparing for war.

What Does the Normandy Summit Mean for the Peace Process in Ukraine?

Written on 12. December 2019. Posted in English.

The beginning of conflict in Eastern Ukraine is nearing its sixth anniversary. The concerted effort of Russian, French, German and Ukrainian leaders to settle this issue diplomatically has yielded few tangible results so far. The recent meeting in Paris of four leaders gives ground for cautious optimism. What have the parties agreed upon? What problems remain and what has changed since the last round of Normandy negotiations?

Chernobyl’s Fallout, Beyond Radiation

Written on 17. July 2019. Posted in English.

“What’s it like, radiation? Maybe they show it in the movies? Have you seen it? Is it white, or what? Some people say it has no color and no smell, and other people say that it’s black. Like earth. But if it’s colorless, then it’s like God. God is everywhere, but you can’t see Him.” Like so many others affected by the meltdown at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, the interviewee in Svetlana Alexievich’s Voices from Chernobyl, struggled to grasp how something too small to be perceived by our senses could have such an enormous effect on human affairs.

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