Ever since Vladimir Putin came to power in Russia twenty-two years ago, Western observers have tried to discern his ideology. Is he a Russian nationalist bent on reconstituting the Russian Empire or a neo-Communist, angry over the collapse of the Soviet Union? Perhaps he’s simply a “patriot” without any actual ideology but who practices a … Read more
Russian President Vladimir Putin argues that the trigger for the current war between Russia and Ukraine is the threat of NATO expansion toward the East. He argues that this represents a direct threat to the Russian Federation. Therefore, Russia’s attack on Ukraine is an act of self-defense in his mind. However, the facts tell a … Read more
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, most of the focus attention has been on the military and humanitarian aspects of the conflict. The war is, after all, a geopolitical earthquake, the worst fighting and refugee crisis on European soil since World War II. It is possible that the war in Ukraine will … Read more
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has put Vladimir Putin in the spotlight. The attack marks the end of the post-Cold War era, a time when it was thought the Russian threat to the West had ended. Indeed, the fall of the Iron Curtain left communism in a vulnerable position. It exposed the brutal system in … Read more
As of this writing, Putin’s troops are in the suburbs of Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, after invading that country by land, sea, and air. Here we will consider just one aspect of the conflict: Is this a just war or not? In other words, did ex-KGB colonel Vladimir Putin have the right to invade Ukraine? To … Read more
