Successful Accession of Crimea to Russia

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Recommended: The aftermath of the cold war

The crisis in Ukraine and Crimea’s recent accession to Russia are events that clearly highlight the underlying sources of conflict in global politics. While Russia sees its actions in Crimea as a “reunification” and the respect for the right of self-determination, the West views it as a threat to European security and a violation of territorial integrity. Crimea has been a debatable topic from the time it came under the control of the Russian Empire in 1783 during the reign of Catherine the Great. The justification then was similar to the reasoning being used by Vladimir Putin today. Catherine declared that she was protecting ethnic Russians in the region from the Ottoman Empire, much as Putin is claiming to protect Russians from Ukrainian nationalists today.
It is the post-Cold War system of international relations that requires a re-thinking of how things went wrong as in many ways, the roots of the problem can be traced back to the bi-polar legacy of the Cold War, which created “a gray area” with its abrupt end, in global politics and hampered the development of standards of international law.
Historical relation of Russia, Ukraine and Crimea
To better understand what is currently taking place in the Eastern European front, we need to re visit history and appreciate the ties that the three bodies have. From the USSR to governmental Autonomy, and then to the breakdown of the state machinery in Ukraine, all have contributed to the current crisis in that part of the world.
Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic commonly referred to as Ukraine or Soviet Ukraine, was a sovereign Soviet socialist state . It was the second-most powerful republic of the Soviet Union in terms of economy and politics, second only to the Russian Soviet ...

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...ociated Press, Russia warns sanctions over Ukraine would 'hit US like boomerang' Fox News, Mar. 08, 2014, available at http://www.foxnews.com/world/2014/03/08/russia-warns-sanctions-over-ukraine-would-hit-us-like-boomerang/
Kriti Radia, Putin Mocks US Sanctions, Signs Crimea Accession Despite Pressure, Mar. 21, 2014, available at http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2014/03/putin-mocks-us-sanctions-signs-crimea-accession-despite-pressure/
Newsweek, Russia Pulls Space Cooperation in Response to Ukraine Sanctions, Reuters, May 13, 2014, available at http://www.newsweek.com/russia-pulls-space-cooperation-response-ukraine-sanctions-250869
Putin's Threat to Retaliate for Sanctions Carries Risks, By Indira A.R. Lakshmanan and Joe Carroll May 1, 2014 8:29 AM GMT+0530, http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-04-30/putin-threat-to-retaliate-for-sanctions-carries-risks.html

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