Last week world leaders received a rude shock as they witnessed the invasion of Ukraine by Russia although, many including Joe Biden, had warned the western leaders of this imminent danger. However, one has to know the history of Russia over several centuries and why such scenarios keep repeating both in Russia and China.
Since 13th century, after Moscow became a political and cultural center, with the unification of Russian lands was later overthrown by Mongols.
They then overthrew the Mongols by late 1400. The territory was then taken over by Tsar Peter the Great, who renamed his state as the Russian Empire, hoping to associate it with historical and cultural achievements of ancient Russia. The state now extended from the eastern borders of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, to the Pacific Ocean.
The approach to the building of socialism, however, varied over different periods in Soviet history: from a mixed economy and diverse society and culture of the 1920s, through the command economy and repressions of the Joseph Stalin era, to the “era of stagnation” from 1960s to 80s.
By mid-1980s, with the weaknesses of Soviet economic and political structures becoming acute, Mikhail Gorbachev embarked on major reforms, which eventually led to overthrow of the communist party and breakup of the USSR, leaving Russia again on its own and marking the start of post Soviet Russia History from 1980s. The Soviet Union was one of the victors in World War II after recovery from a massive surprise invasion in 1941 by its previously secretly cooperative partner, Nazi Germany.
Scrapping the socialist central-planning and state-ownership of property of the socialist era, after 2000, President Vladimir Putin embarked on political and economic power with an assertive foreign policy. Coupled with economic growth, Russia has since regained significant global status as a world power. Russia’s 2014 annexation of the Crimean Peninsula had led to economic sanctions imposed byUnited States and European Union. Under Putin’s leadership, corruption in Russia is rated the worst in Europe, and Russia’s human rights situation has been increasingly criticized by international observers,especially after he silenced his opponent Alexei Navalny.
Now, in attempt to get out of this mess and regain some lost glory, Putin appears to have taken advantage of the situation as most countries are in process of recoverypost-pandemic and has launched the invasion of Ukraine. If one observes closely, Putin seems tobe repeating the same blunder his ancestors made – suppressing freedom and abuse of basic human rights.
Of course many nations will impose those sanctions that are conducive to them. Will sanctions work this time, as they could not during the invasion of Crimea?
Putin and his team of corrupt leaders, after amassing unlimited wealth stolen from the state,took this path which may lead to a disastrous ending. Like most men of evil intent had extinguished innocent lives earlier in history, Putin could be heading down the same path. He will take along with him others like Xi of China, Kim Jong-un from North Korea and others. Nobody can harbor peace with disturbed minds playing the Russian roulette.
