1. Russia's Hybrid Warfare -Waging War below the Radar of Traditional Collective Defence
- Author:
- Heidi Reisinger and Aleksandr Golts
- Publication Date:
- 11-2014
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- NATO Defense College
- Abstract:
- Ukraine is not even a state!” Putin reportedly advised former US President George W. Bush during the 2008 NATO Summit in Bucharest. In 2014 this perception became reality. Russian behaviour during the current Ukraine crisis was based on the traditional Russian idea of a “sphere of influence” and a special responsibility or, stated more bluntly, the “right to interfere” with countries in its “near abroad”. This perspective is also implied by the equally misleading term “post-Soviet space.” The successor states of the Soviet Union are sovereign countries that have developed differently and therefore no longer have much in common. Some of them are members of the European Union and NATO, while others are desperately trying to achieve this goal. Contrary to what Professor John Mearsheimer may suggest. In his article “Why the Ukraine crisis is the West's fault” he argues that NATO has expanded too far to the East, “into Russia's backyard”, against Moscow's declared will, and therefore carries responsibility for recent events; however, this seems to ignore that NATO was not hunting for new members, but found them knocking at its door.
- Topic:
- NATO and War
- Political Geography:
- Russia, United States, Ukraine, Soviet Union, and Moscow