Good Essay On Understanding The United States' Reaction To The Ukranian Crisis Through The Use

This past winter, the struggles for political autonomy in Ukraine garnered international attention as the once peaceful occupation in Kiev against former Ukranian president Viktor Yanukovych, turned into chaos with deadly clashes between troops and protestors. Russia's occupation of the Crimea region of Ukraine, as well as their continued threats to cutoff Ukraine's natural gas supply prompted sanctions from the United States and other United Nations countries. The responses from the international community have varied in severity and outcome, yet international relations theory helps to underline why the United States' response towards Russia is different from other regions of the world.
Constructivism, the international relations theory which argues that international relations are heavily impacted by historical and social events and not by human nature or other unavoidable factors, lends insight into the United States' response to Russia following the invasion of the Crimea region. Given the United States and Russia's storied past, particularly during the Cold-War era, it is logical to give credence to the importance of historical and social events that have taken place between the United States and Russia. During the Cold-War era, both countries were distrustful of one another and feared that the other would use nuclear weapons in order to gain power over the other. Although the end of the Soviet Union alleviated some of the distrust and stress between the two nations, post Cold-War era politics have not always been easy either. Russia's threats towards Ukraine, along with the occupation of the Crimea region stir up old feelings of distrust toward Russia, thus forcing the United States to impose sanctions where they may have otherwise ignored.
Realism is composed of four main tenets: political groupism, egoism, international anarchy and power politics. In this particular case study on Russia, power politics is the most prominent component. Russia used its power against Ukraine, therefore, the United States responded by imposing sanctions, halting trade and restricting travel in order to show their power to Russia. Historically, power politics has been very common between Russia and the West.
Neo-Realism places political emphasis on the survival of the state as opposed to building trust between nations. The United States actions towards Russia would therefore be considered to come from a place of self-perseverance. Russia is a powerful nation and in the months leading up to the Ukranian crisis, Russia spoke negatively against the West's politics and economic practices. The United States was quick to throw its support behind Ukraine once the coup that ousted Yanukovych took place in hopes that perhaps someday, a similar refocussing of power may take place in Russia. Even after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, many American political players want more changes in Russia in order to ease fears about potential actions Russia may take.