Russian invasion of Ukraine and the decline of the world order/
Yongmin Park
- 2022
Few predicted Russia's invasion of Ukraine before February 24. Even when US President Biden warned of imminent aggression, many experts asserted that the massing of Russian troops along the border would not lead to an actual war. Pundits were being reasonable, rather than short-sighted. It means either that Vladimir Putin's revanchist historicism is absurd, or that the rest of the world's reasons are outdated, or both. This article will begin by examining the dangers posed by Putin's imperialistic ambition, and then explain how and why the world order is declining. Two popular perceptions will be challenged. Firstly, many in academia find the eastward expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty organization (NATO) guilty of causing Russia's security paranoia, thus creating pressure for an armed conflict. On the contrary, a declining order has created a power vacuum that might have tempted Putin's adventurism. Secondly, the invasion has seemingly united Europe to an unprecedented level. The Russian invasion is, however, partly an expression of the weakening of the power that bound Europe together, and it signals the further waning of Europe's unity. While the arguments in this article are far from conclusive, the author hopes they could add new perspectives to the discussion.