Originally published on the CGS blog on February 28, 2014.
Ukraine is quickly becoming the flashpoint for a modern day Cold War.
Throughout the Cold War the United States and Russia were involved in several proxy wars, actually, approximately twenty of them. A proxy war, a conflict which established powers fight using third parties, prevents super powers from almost certain mutual destruction. Think Korea, Vietnam and the Cuban Missile Crisis as proxy conflicts.
Secretary of State John Kerry has been trying to convince the world this is not so, stating Tuesday “This is not a zero-sum game; this is not West versus East. It is not Russia or the United States…” He continued his remarks concluding that the Unites States wants to work with all willing countries, including Russia, to come to a peaceful resolution.
While the United States has warned Russia that military involvement would warrant international backlash; Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered large scale military exercises along Russia’s borders. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has stated the exercises are meant to “check troop readiness for action in crisis situations that threaten the nation’s military security.” In response during an interview on MSNBC’s Mitchell Report Kerry declared “This is not Rocky IV, believe me.”
As pro-Russian protests continue in the Crimean region, armed men stormed the Crimean parliamentary building in the regional capital on Thursday raising a Russian flag atop the roof. The news of ousted former President Viktor Yanukovych resurfacing in Russia only intensifies the divide. According to a statement read on Russian TV, Yanukovych denounced the government calling them “extremists” and officially declaring himself as president.
While Russia has criticized Kiev’s new government, the West has recognized its legitimacy and has stated full support for the Ukrainian people’s quest for democracy. For years these two world super powers have stood opposite one another on international involvement in crises such as Libya and Syria. Despite Mr. Kerry’s best efforts, Ukraine is on the path of becoming the next Cuba, and if the divide deepens, we could be at the doorstep of Cold War II.
