The Ukraine-Russia Crisis
Understanding security and the relativity of security are both topics that require our utmost attention as to what one person, state or authority might find threatening, may be a means of security for the others. The security of individuals can be affected in numerous ways; economic welfare, environmental concerns, cultural identity, and political rights are germane more often than military issues in this respect (Lipschutz). For example, many states in the United States are torn between the debate of whether or not the possession of firearms should be so widespread and legal. While some people believe that they feel a sense of security and the firearms are merely for self defense, other people counter by mentioning the increasing shootings and a lack of gun control. Even if the scope of study is limited to national security, the complications remain.
The mainstream of security studies arose from the aftermath of World War II and the geopolitical confrontation between East and West, in part as a reaction to the interwar period's failures of multilateral security institutions, and narrowed its security focus to the protection of the state (and its citizens) from external military threats (Baldwin 1995). This was, in some ways, consistent with the nineteenth-century idea of state–society relations and domestic order/international anarchy. This was, in some ways, consistent with the nineteenth-century idea of state–society relationships and domestic order/international anarchy. More significantly, early scholarship was mostly America-centric and policy-driven, and it was shaped by the United States' geopolitical ascendancy and the crystallisation of the notion of "national security," which first appeared in the late 1940s (Bock and Berkowitz).
Ukraine is a country that is sandwiched between two continents: Russia and Europe. It was a member of the Soviet Union until 1991, and since then, it has been a democracy with a poor economy and a foreign policy that oscillates between pro-Russian and pro-European positions. It all started with a domestic Ukrainian crisis in November 2013, when President Viktor Yanukovych rejected the proposal for a closer European Union integration. Several significant events have occurred since then. Anti-government protests ousted the government in February, forcing Yanukovych to flee the country. In order to reclaim its lost influence in Ukraine, Russia invaded and annexed Crimea the next month. Pro-Russian separatists began capturing territory in eastern Ukraine in April. Furthermore, on July 17, the rebels shot down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, tragically killing 298 people. Fighting between the insurgents and the Ukrainian military became more intense, the rebels began to lose ground, and in August, the Russian army invaded eastern Ukraine openly in support of the rebels. All of this has driven Russia's and the West's relationship to its lowest point since the Cold War.
This relativity of security, of who or what is being threatened, and from what or whom has important consequences for understanding security relations between states, within states, and between non-state actors (Krause and Williams). When looking at the conflict through the point of view of the relativity of security, these five factors are easily visible namely: whose security, from whom or what, by what means, for what purpose and by which security actor. In this case, looking at Ukraine as the referent, fearing a Russian ground invasion, NATO allies have increased their support for Kyiv by sending more troops and military equipment to Ukraine. “This external vision of securing the state against external military threats, linked tightly to strategy and policy, was facilitated by increasing levels of domestic safety and public order, generated by the growing administrative power of the state (Eisner 2003).” The admittance of Ukraine to the alliance would require the unanimous agreement of the coalition's 30 members. The United States and NATO have finally reacted to the demands. While neither Moscow nor the Western countries have made the details of their reply public, it is evidently visible that Russia's primary demands, that Ukraine be effectively barred from joining NATO and for the alliance to not expand east have been rejected.
When we examine security in the context of the larger evolution of connections between states, societies, and institutions of organised violence, we are more likely to question the foundations of any given idea of security than to declare one to be accurate for all periods and places. Security cannot be limited exclusively to existential risks to a person, a country, or a community. While these are significant, it's also critical to look at how risks become threats and how specific issues get regarded as security concerns. It's also crucial to look into the circumstances in which security issues de-intensify to the point where they're just seen as problems to be solved through normal politics; in other words, how insecure relationships can be transformed into stable and peaceful ones. In my opinion, the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia is a good way to objectively analyse the issue as it has all the factors of relative security.
Fisher, Max. “Everything you need to know about the Ukraine crisis.” Vox, 3 September 2014, https://www.vox.com/2014/9/3/18088560/ukraine-everything-you-need-to-know. Accessed 01 February 2022.
Krause, Keith, and Michael Williams. “Security and “Security Studies”: Conceptual Evolution and Historical Transformation.” 2018. Accessed 01 February 2022.
“A simple guide to the Ukraine-Russia crisis: 5 things to know.” Al Jazeera, 25 January 2022, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/1/25/five-things-to-know-about-russia-ukraine-tensions. Accessed 01 February 2022.
The mainstream of security studies arose from the aftermath of World War II and the geopolitical confrontation between East and West, in part as a reaction to the interwar period's failures of multilateral security institutions, and narrowed its security focus to the protection of the state (and its citizens) from external military threats (Baldwin 1995). This was, in some ways, consistent with the nineteenth-century idea of state–society relations and domestic order/international anarchy. This was, in some ways, consistent with the nineteenth-century idea of state–society relationships and domestic order/international anarchy. More significantly, early scholarship was mostly America-centric and policy-driven, and it was shaped by the United States' geopolitical ascendancy and the crystallisation of the notion of "national security," which first appeared in the late 1940s (Bock and Berkowitz).
Source: Al Jazeera
Ukraine is a country that is sandwiched between two continents: Russia and Europe. It was a member of the Soviet Union until 1991, and since then, it has been a democracy with a poor economy and a foreign policy that oscillates between pro-Russian and pro-European positions. It all started with a domestic Ukrainian crisis in November 2013, when President Viktor Yanukovych rejected the proposal for a closer European Union integration. Several significant events have occurred since then. Anti-government protests ousted the government in February, forcing Yanukovych to flee the country. In order to reclaim its lost influence in Ukraine, Russia invaded and annexed Crimea the next month. Pro-Russian separatists began capturing territory in eastern Ukraine in April. Furthermore, on July 17, the rebels shot down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, tragically killing 298 people. Fighting between the insurgents and the Ukrainian military became more intense, the rebels began to lose ground, and in August, the Russian army invaded eastern Ukraine openly in support of the rebels. All of this has driven Russia's and the West's relationship to its lowest point since the Cold War.
Source: Al Jazeera
This relativity of security, of who or what is being threatened, and from what or whom has important consequences for understanding security relations between states, within states, and between non-state actors (Krause and Williams). When looking at the conflict through the point of view of the relativity of security, these five factors are easily visible namely: whose security, from whom or what, by what means, for what purpose and by which security actor. In this case, looking at Ukraine as the referent, fearing a Russian ground invasion, NATO allies have increased their support for Kyiv by sending more troops and military equipment to Ukraine. “This external vision of securing the state against external military threats, linked tightly to strategy and policy, was facilitated by increasing levels of domestic safety and public order, generated by the growing administrative power of the state (Eisner 2003).” The admittance of Ukraine to the alliance would require the unanimous agreement of the coalition's 30 members. The United States and NATO have finally reacted to the demands. While neither Moscow nor the Western countries have made the details of their reply public, it is evidently visible that Russia's primary demands, that Ukraine be effectively barred from joining NATO and for the alliance to not expand east have been rejected.
When we examine security in the context of the larger evolution of connections between states, societies, and institutions of organised violence, we are more likely to question the foundations of any given idea of security than to declare one to be accurate for all periods and places. Security cannot be limited exclusively to existential risks to a person, a country, or a community. While these are significant, it's also critical to look at how risks become threats and how specific issues get regarded as security concerns. It's also crucial to look into the circumstances in which security issues de-intensify to the point where they're just seen as problems to be solved through normal politics; in other words, how insecure relationships can be transformed into stable and peaceful ones. In my opinion, the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia is a good way to objectively analyse the issue as it has all the factors of relative security.
Works Cited
Fisher, Max. “Everything you need to know about the Ukraine crisis.” Vox, 3 September 2014, https://www.vox.com/2014/9/3/18088560/ukraine-everything-you-need-to-know. Accessed 01 February 2022.
Krause, Keith, and Michael Williams. “Security and “Security Studies”: Conceptual Evolution and Historical Transformation.” 2018. Accessed 01 February 2022.
“A simple guide to the Ukraine-Russia crisis: 5 things to know.” Al Jazeera, 25 January 2022, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/1/25/five-things-to-know-about-russia-ukraine-tensions. Accessed 01 February 2022.
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