Vladimir vs. Volodymyr. Crimea's Annexation and its Role in the Light of Classical Realism

Essay from the year 2020 in the subject Politics - Topic: International relations, grade: 1,0, University of Würzburg (Institut für Politikwissenschaften und Soziologie), course: Die Theorien der Internationalen Beziehungen - Wegweiser zum Verständnis von Weltpolitik, language: English, abstract: The essay discusses Russian interference with the Ukraine crisis. Theoretically, I use Morgenthau's classical realism to examine the events that led to the annexation of Crimea and finally to the ongoing upheavals in Donbas. By analyzing applicable international law and bilateral treaties, I find that, in the early stages of the crisis, Moscow tried to exert influence on Ukrainian politics by exercising economic and political pressure. This may be due to an urge to prevent a weakening of its power position in the shadow of the - then impending - association between Ukraine and the EU. Russia thus pursued a policy of the status quo. However, later in the crisis, it annexed Crimea and resorted to military force and unconventional warfare. It has been found here that, after February 2014, Russian policy towards Ukraine shows essential features of a policy of imperialism.