The Ukraine  Crisis

Thesis Structure and Content 1. Brief Historical Overview of Ukrainian-Russian Relations 2. Ukraine's Path to Nationwide Unrest 3. Drawing the Fault Lines 4. Torn Between East and West 5. Independent Media Coverage and State-Directed Propaganda 6. The Current State of Domestic, Regional, and International Affairs 7. Resolving the Ukraine Crisis

Brief Historical Overview of Ukrainian-Russian Relations - Soviet Ukraine and the Holodomor The Great Ukrainian Famine of 1932-1933 killed an estimated 10 million people due the Collectivization Policy implemented by Soviet Authorities under the leadership of Joseph Stalin. - The Holocaust in Ukraine The Ukrainian Population suffered significantly during the occupation of Nazi Germany, with an estimated 3 million non-Jewish civilians and 1,6 million Jews being killed as part of the German extermination policies, as well as 7 million Ukrainian soldiers dying in Combat. - The Orange Revolution Nationwide Protests due to corruption and election fraud, resulting in the annulation of previous election results and leading up to the victory of pro-European politician Viktor Yushchenko.

Ukraine's Path to Nationwide Unrest - Ukraine-European Union Association Agreement "The coverage by the New York Times and many other Western newspapers immediately blamed Yanukovych's decision to abort the Ukraine-European Union Association Agreement on "pressure" placed on Yanukovych by the Russian President Vladimir Putin rather than crediting Russia with offering a much better deal."       - Oliver Boyd-Barrett - (Western Mainstream Media and the Ukraine Crisis) - The National Endowment for Democracy The West's final tool for peeling Kiev away from Moscow has been its efforts to spread Western values and promote democracy and other post-Soviet states, a plan that often entails funding pro-Western individuals and organization. Victoria Nuland, the U.S. assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, estimated in December 2013 that the United States had invested more than $5 billion since 1991 to help Ukraine achieve "the future it deserves." As part of that effort, the U.S. government has bankrolled the National Endowment for Democracy."       - John J. Mearsheimer - (Why the Ukraine Crisis is the West's Fault) - Public Unrest and the Euromaidan

Drawing the Fault Lines - Between Viktor Yanukovych and Peter Poroshenko Former President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych, elected democratically in an election that the OSCE deemed fair and transparent, was ousted from office and followed by pro-European and close friend of President Viktor Yushcheko, Petro Poroshenko. - The Rise of Anti-Russian Sentiment Following the coup d'etat, newly elected Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk introduced controversial legislature that would discriminate against Russian speakers, as well as against pertain parties following socialist or communist ideologies. - Separatism and the Dissolution of Ukrainian Sovereignty In an attempt to be independent from the Ukrainian authorities residing in Kiev, ethnic Russians and sympathizers with the Russian government living in the East of Ukraine, declared themselves for independent and founded the Luhansk People's Republic and the Donetsk People's Republic.

Torn Between East and West - Foreign Economic and Geopolitical Aspirations Ukraine has long been regarded as vital for Russian domestic defense, as well as an dependent country in regard to the supply of gas and other natural resources. The United States sees Ukraine as the Russia's doorway to Ukraine, thereby trying to move Ukraine out of Russia's orbit in order to limit it politically and economically. - Consequences of a Continuous NATO Expansionism and EU Enlargement Russia has granted permission to Eastern Germany becoming a member of NATO after the German reunification under the condition that NATO will refrain from any additional eastward expansion. Despite tolerating a continuous NATO expansion and EU enlargement, Russia has reached its limited after the West's courting of Ukraine. - Sanctions, Treaties, and Diplomatic Means of Conflict Resolution

Independent Media Coverage and State-Directed Propaganda American media outlets, such as Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, Washington Post, the New York Times, as well as other broadcasting and print media, have long claimed that Russia follows a grand strategy to restore the Russia as a global power by reclaiming former Soviet territories. It has depicted Russia as a mere aggressor, thereby contributing to a growing anti-Russian sentiment in the United States and among its allies. Russian media outlets, such as RT and Sputnik News, have thoroughly stated that the United States is focused to create dissent between Russia and its traditional regional allies and move them out of Russia's sphere of influence. Russian media has been focused to justify Russian national interest in Ukraine, while at the same time denying any direct involvement of the government within domestic affairs of Ukraine.

The Current State of Domestic, Regional, and International Affairs regarding the Ukraine Crisis - Ongoing Civil War in Ukraine's Donbass Territory - Peace and Mediation Efforts: Minsk I&II - EU-Russia Relations and Economic Interdependence - Ukraine's Financial Struggle and IMF Dependence - A matter of Perspective: The Recognition of Russian Crimea

Resolving the Ukraine Crisis ?