Tensions Between Russia & Ukraine: A Global War at Doorsteps | Khizer Rehman
The Cold War elicited the paroxysm of hunger of global ascendancy and hegemony between the USSR and USA and their cronies. The Cold War officially ended in 1991, Kremlin had fallen, the flag grew to three colors (white, blue, and red) from plain white, 15 new republic states had declared independence from the Soviet Union. Relations between the Soviet Union and the United States were driven by a complex interplay of ideological, political, and economic factors, which led to shifts between cautious cooperation and often bitter superpower rivalry over the years. Whether it’s the cavalier and adamant behavior of Russians or is it the proclivity or infatuation of global rule of USA, the Cold war goes on and it never ended in the first place.
RUSSIA TENSIONS WITH UKRAINE
Russia covers a vast spacious land and covers one-eighth of the inhabited land of the planet Earth. Historically, Russia and Ukraine have been already in a conflict in past and most recently in 2013, Russia had annexed the Ukrainian peninsula, Crimea. Russia has also backed and fortified the separatist rebellion in Eastern Ukraine. The recent tensions began when Ukraine started cozying up with NATO (North Atlantic Treaty organization) and Russia wants NATO out of Eastern Ukraine. The idea of the Ukrainian Government soliciting and placating NATO membership doesn’t sit well with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin.
The grotesque and subtle way of Ukraine cozying up with NATO started a few months back when NATO troops started training the Ukrainian army and some members deployed their troops and weapons at eastern Ukraine. NATO had started to vindicate the Ukrainian nationals but Putin has decided to go about it with the good ol’ method of persuasion to jeopardize NATO and threatened to start a war.
RUSSIAN DEFENCE AND TROOPS
Russia has a Defence budget of $42 billion and it puts a lot of love and money into its military. Russia’s army counts 3.5 Million recruits and more than 13,000 war tanks in their military arsenal. Russia also has 27,000 armored vehicles and ranks first in the world with 4,465 artillery guns. The dismal Russian nukes are worrisome and vexatious and the count of a nuclear arsenal is 6,257 in number. These nukes can be launched from aircraft, submarines, and missiles. The Russian naval feel is also unmatchable and the nuclear-powered submarines can be formidable and daunting for any country in the world.
RUSSIA’S COVETED EUPHORIA
Russia is an exuberant country with many friends. It is a member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) which is a group of six former Soviet states (Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan). CSTO is a NATO-like alliance and useful tool for Russia to tighten its grip on Central Asia against both Western and Chinese encroachment and make Central Asia and the other Soviet States succumb to the adamant and macho Russia.
Besides all this, Russia also has a Cuba in its list of scions in the Caribbean that holds up a primary strategic location in jeopardizing or subjugating the USA. History may repeat itself like a 12-day long Cuban missile crisis dated back in 1962. Cuban soil can be used by Russian troops to obliterate or sabotage US soil to buy the political leverage or contrive Ukrainian support insinuatingly.
USA AND NATO PLAN
NATO has 30 member countries. The US and Germany are the largest donors of NATO (both donate 16% of total NATO expense). Both countries have threatened to impose heavy sanctions and embargoes on Russia if it invades Ukraine. The USA against the Soviets in the cold war and Germany against the Soviets in world war 2, ring any Bell? Both USA and Germany have puritanical policy beliefs against Russia. The presence of NATO brings Russia 2300 km closer to the USA thus providing a cardinal strategic location to the USA like Russia has a leverage of Cuba over the USA. Also, the USA aims at repressing the Russian-controlled governments in all Soviet States to plummet the dictation.
The USA plans to appease Eastern Europe by commiseration that had been an arduous and always appalled US foreign policy. This would help the USA to curb the Russian hegemony in Eastern Europe and enter a new epoch and fortify its global empire and feeble Russian and Chinese ascendancy in the world.
Almost 130,000 troops have been deployed at the border and tensions have been escalated. The USA also deployed 8000 troops in Poland (German neighbor) besides arming Ukrainian troops. As the number of troops continues to surge on the borders, experts predict it is just the tip of the iceberg and also profess a large-scale war. The whole world has its eyes on what will be the next move of Russia and the idea of war gives jet lag and intimidates many. Whereas, the USA has many hidden agendas besides trailing the Russian troops that Vladimir Putin conspicuously detests. Let’s see whether the negotiations can help countries to comply and conform to a consensual pact or whett us back to medieval times.
About Author:
Khizer Rehman is pursuing his bachelorette at National Defence University, Islamabad. He has enthusiastic interest in global politics and policy development and dialogue at national and international level. He can be contacted at khizerrehman664@gmail.com
