Ukraine’s Crisis and Escalation of Regional Rivalry

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Abstract

Since collapse of former Soviet Union, Russia and the US have been competing over influence in external zone of Russia. From Russia’s point of view, expansion of NATO and the European Union eastwards aimed at curbing Russia’s regional influence.
Russia believes that following the policy of the eastward expansion of NATO and the EU as well as colorful revolutions in the Caucasus and Central Asia, the US has been trying to enhance influence in its geopolitical zone. On this basis, Ukraine has been turned into a zone for skirmishes between Russia and the US over regional influence. As a result of the skirmishes, the identity layers of Ukraine prepared the ground for entry of the western big powers to it and the security pun and non-firmness in relations among the great powers served as consequences of the anarchical structure of the international system, adding to its complexity. So, the issue of Ukraine has turned from a national crisis into an issue having regional dimensions. The result it will be the regional equations of the influential powers and since internal equations of Ukraine will entail external consequences for Russia, the US and its European allies, each of the players have got involved in Ukraine crisis out of their own interests.

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