Ukraine conflict: What we know about the invasion

We are currently in the midst of a major world event happening in Eastern Europe: the Ukraine invasion by Russian military forces on the orders of Vladimir Putin. In a televised speech last night, “Mr Putin announced a ‘military operation’ in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region” (BBC News) and explained Russia’s intervening as “self-defence” in order to “de-Nazify” the country (BBC News). Since then, Ukrainians across the country have been hearing loud bangs, taking cover, and fearing for their lives. 

When I first heard about the Ukrainian crisis, I thought back to our reading this week from Krause and Eiran, “How Human Boundaries Become State Borders.” Krause and Eiran focus on radical flank groups bringing about change in territorial disputes by Bottom-Up means. In a Bottom-Up approach, “construction and inhabitance […] by radical flank members precede state presence and authorization” (Krause & Eiran, 2018, p.485), resulting in a change in borders and control due to the state recognizing it needs to now protect the new settlement. I see something similar happening in the eastern part of Ukraine, where “Since 2014, Russian-backed separatists and Ukraine’s armed forces have been fighting a war in the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk in which more than 14,000 people have died” (BBC News). The Russian separatists are a radical flank group using a Bottom-Up approach to gain territory. With his announcement last night, “President Putin has now recognised the two regions held by the Russian-backed separatists as independent states and ordered Russian troops there, tearing up a peace deal” (BBC News). Russia is now seeing these radical flank group settlements as part of the Russian state and is making moves to “protect” them, resulting in a declaration of war on Ukraine. As Krause and Eiran state, “Violence and territorial control have always gone hand in hand” (Krause & Eiran, 2018, p.479). We are seeing this statement coming to life in Ukraine. 

References:

Krause, P. & Eiran, E. (2018). How Human Boundaries Become State Borders: Radical Flanks
and Territorial Control in the Modern Era. Comparative Politics, 50(4), 479-499.

Ukraine conflict: What we know about the invasion. (2022, February 24). BBC News. Retrieved
February 24, 2022, from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60504334

In this module one of the guiding questions is: How can we stay true to the depth needed in research, but geographically follow the lives of immigrant populations? The video I shared is titled The Shifting Border: How Nation States Control Human Mobility. In the video, Professor Ayelet Shachar states that “If we are thinking about borders, we can’t just look at how individuals move across borders. We actually want to look at how borders themselves move to regulate mobility (TED, 2021, 1:46). The model she is suggesting is a shifting border, as opposed to a static or disappearing border. In the video she analyzes how this looks in the United States, Canada, and Australia. She has ultimately set out to comprehend how states are regulating mobility, migration, and citizenship, and how we might imagine membership, diversity, and inclusion under these new circumstances. On Youtube.com, Shachar argues that if borders are dynamic, then human rights should be equally agile.

With the increasing unknown of the “why” behind individuals’ mobility and joining new communities, it is important to have an understanding of circumstances. Despite what some may believe, it is often not financially driven. In his article “Comprehensive Immigrant Confusion,” Peter Skerry (2016) states that “Indeed, it is remarkable how few Americans display curiosity about what leads individuals to incur the considerable inconvenience and risk of moving here, especially illegally. As economic historians remind us, only a tiny fraction of the world’s population has ever left home in search of substantial economic gains.”  When there is a better understanding of individuals’ mobility, communities will have a better understanding of the notion of shifting borders and how we can better meet the needs of newcomers and their needs. Research must constantly be done in an ever changing world to understand mobility so beneficial plans and policies are in place. 

Skerry, P. (2016) Comprehensive Immigration Confusion. Article published in National Affairs. 

The Shifting Border: How Nation States Control Human Mobility. (2021, February

     9). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eoDXOzqlAY