​This book explores the discursive dimension of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. It analyzes how political leaders, mass media, social media, and ordinary people in Ukraine, Russia, the United States, the United Kingdom, and France discuss the war. War propaganda and counterpropaganda structure discourses about the invasion, strengthening post-truth conditions. The book highlights the consequences of the growing distrust in the institutional truth-teller, mass media. Russia's invasion of Ukraine is the first social media war. Social media became the principal source of information about the invasion. The rise of digital media did not change the tendency of the discourses about war to be territorially segregated according to national boundaries. Nationalization of discourses about war continues to prevail over their globalization. The corpora containing more than 180 million words in four languages inform the analysis. The data was collected during the first year and a half of Russia'sall-out war in Ukraine.

Following a realist approach and with a focus on political discord, economic sanctions, and media limitations, the book sheds light onto the deadlock between the conflicting parties. It dissects the diplomatic endeavors and missteps, varying political perspectives, Western support strategies, and the intricate global dynamics that triggered this existential crisis. The critical assessment of political antecedents, including the Budapest Memorandum, the Bucharest Summit Declaration, and the Minsk Agreements 1 and 2, uncovers hidden political motives aimed at setting the stage for a proxy war. Additionally, the book scrutinizes the financial dimensions of the conflict, strategies for post-conflict reconstruction, and the emerging Zeitenwende phenomenon reshaping the geopolitical landscape of the Global North. This book's insights suggest a potential shift towards a new multipolar global order, representing a significant realignment in the distribution of geopolitical and geo-economic influence.

Mobilizing an interdisciplinary group of scholars and practitioners, this book reviews the history and consequences of NATO's post-Cold War enlargement into Central and Eastern Europe. It offers a nuanced discussion of the merits and drawbacks of NATO enlargement across the different actors involved and compares the results of the policy against potential alternatives that were not chosen. Particular attention is given to NATO enlargement's influence on the course of U.S. foreign policy, democracy and security in Central and Eastern Europe, NATO's own development as a political and military institution, and relations with China and Russia (including the 2022 Russia-Ukraine War).  Written for an engaged audience, the book is designed to appeal to students, researchers, and policymakers alike while offering both policy insights and avenues for future scholarship.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has pushed Europe into a new strategic era. The knock-on effects of the war have combined to open a period of reordering across the European continent. European governments and the European Union collectively have begun to fashion policies for this shift, recognizing this to be a pivotal historical moment. Richard Youngs unpacks the different dynamics that have come to characterize European policies in the wake of the war: the nature of EU integration, geopolitical power, defence priorities, European borders, liberal values, the green transition and economic sovereignty. The book looks to the future and outlines the issues and choices with which European governments still need to grapple. Youngs develops the notion of geoliberalism as a way of addressing these challenges and guiding European governments and the EU into the fragile order taking shape in the shadow of Ukraine's war.

This book highlights the geopolitical and economic consequences of the Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The author, a key architect of Polish economic reforms and the most frequently cited economist from post-Communist countries, shares new insights into the causes and mechanisms of the Second Cold War. Written in an unorthodox, bold and lucid style, the book raises provocative issues and provides convincing answers to some of the most difficult questions, such as who the true beneficiaries and interest groups behind the war are, and what their motives and conflicting goals are.

The Russian Invasion of Ukraine and Implications for the Central Region addresses national security threats and strategic opportunities for the United States and its allies in the Middle East and Central Asia following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Recognizing that integrated deterrence is not constrained by geography or domain, this book focuses on the complex threats and challenges confronting U.S. national security and foreign policy in a post-Ukraine invasion environment. That is to say, what happens in Ukraine does not stay in Ukraine. It affects everyone from the region to the cyberspace domain to people on the other side of the world, due to changes in commodity prices.

This authoritative handbook offers insights into the complexities of post-war reconstruction and development economics in Ukraine. Covering a broad spectrum of topics, from bolstering national security to fostering sustainable economic growth, it offers a comprehensive understanding of the economic dynamics, factors, and practical applications shaping policy and programs. The book explores the multifaceted requirements for enhancing fiscal, economic, and social aspects, including security, education, working conditions, domestic and international policies, and market conditions. Using traditional and innovative analytical tools, it unravels the complex relationship between macroeconomic and microeconomic factors in Ukraine's post-war landscape, charting a path towards economic growth. Key themes within this handbook encompass development data, statistical capacity building, research and knowledge creation, national indicators, and impact evaluation.

Memetic War analyses memetic warfare, included in cyber war and aims to develop a framework for understanding the parameters included in utilising this concept in Ukraine as a part of civic resistance. In the Ukrainian war, an informal defence tactic has developed to uphold the information flow about the war and to debunk Russia's communications. The war has enhanced the visibility of governmental and civic activation by using the advantages of social media architecture, networks and communication forms. The book investigates Ukraine's public and private abilities to develop cyber capabilities to counter propaganda and dis-misinformation online as a defence mechanism. This book uses military ROC doctrine to understand government authorities, the armed forces, and civic engagement in the Ukrainian resistance.

This book offers a dynamic introduction to the new developments on national security review of foreign direct investment (FDI) from the perspectives of both domestic law and international investment law. COVID-19 and the Russian invasion of Ukraine have intensified FDI screening to an unprecedented scale, yet its purposes, scope, and potential impact remain ambiguous and controversial. The work first attests the legitimacy of FDI screening by using national security constitutional theory. Part I explicates the national security, public order and public health exceptions clauses in international investment law, and the novel EU Regulation on FDI screening. Part II provides an in-depth analysis of FDI screening in China, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, and the UK, which have either witnessed momentous changes in domestic law recently, or have adopted new laws to cope with the growing security concerns. T

Soon after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Vladimir Putin expressed Russia's commitment for the reconstruction of the war-devasted Eastern regions of Ukraine. It is surprising how little analytical and comparative literature exists about Russia's experience in post-conflict recovery despite its involvement in a large number of conflict areas, both as an intervenor and as a donor. Against this backdrop, this book explores the role of Russia in the reconstruction of a range of countries and territories including Crimea, the North Caucasus and Chechnya as well as Syria. Based on the author's three decades-long experience in research and engagement in post-conflict reconstruction, the book offers a valuable overview of the main lessons learned that will be of relevance to Ukraine. The case selection is not intended to offer an exhaustive account of all the recent or contemporary conflicts in which Russia has involved itself. Rather the cases have been selected to illustrate a range of interventions across different periods and geographical areas, highlighting the spectrum of Russian reconstruction policies and strategies.

This book explores how Russia's War on Ukraine has changed the global nuclear order. The Russian aggression against Ukraine questioned the values of the liberal regimes and systems upon which the global nuclear order is built. At the heart of this nuclear order lies the 1968 Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), which remains until today the cornerstone of the global nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation regime. In this context, the book examines new challenges and threats to the global nuclear order. It discusses the deterioration of nuclear norms, as well as the increasing number of the states further challenging the NPT regime by attempts to develop nuclear weapons.

This edited volume provides a comprehensive analysis of the intricate dynamics of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, particularly within the context of sustainable development in Africa. The book explores the multifaceted consequences of the war, drawing attention to its socioeconomic, environmental, and political implications. It also emphasizes the significance of sustainable development on a global scale, positioning itself at the intersection of conflict studies and sustainable development literature. Chapters discuss the international response to the conflict, including sanctions on Russia and disruptions in global supply chains, which has had significant implications for countries in Africa that rely on Russia and Ukraine for essential commodities. The history and root causes of the conflict are analyzed, highlighting the contrasting narratives - the pro-Russian perspective and the pro-Western viewpoint. Underscoring the impact of the Russia-Ukraine conflict on global peace, sustainable development, and the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by the 2030 deadline, this volume will be of interest to researchers and students focusing on development, food systems, peace and conflict, security studies, international relations, and the SDGs.

The book offers a detailed analysis on Russia's invasion of Ukraine. A book needs to be written on this to make sense, from a theoretical perspective, why this invasion has occurred and what the main actors are pursuing. The originality rests on testing main international relations theories: realism, liberalism and constructivism to the war that emerges with the practices and approaches during the Cold War to date from the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), the Soviet Union (and now Russia) and Ukraine. The monograph commences with a historical overview of NATO and how it has engaged in expansionism policy to further contain Russia in contemporary international affairs with the accession of additional former Soviet states. This helps to explain the current Russian invasion of Ukraine that would attract great readership.

Why did Russia's all-out war against Ukraine come as such a surprise to the West? This is a key question considered by this reflective and wide-ranging book. The book argues that Russia and the West were playing different games: while Russia under Putin had become obsessed with using hard power to restore the Cold War security architecture in Europe, the major Western powers had become equally obsessed with value promotion that would ensure a global triumph for the values of the West, touted as "universal values." The Russian play for spheres of interest was clearly defined and demarcated, the Western play for values was, by definition, without limits. Hence there could be no common ground, no constructive communication, and no common understanding. While Russia convinced itself that it would be successful in forcing the West to accept its claims for a new security order, based on hard power, Western governments deluded themselves into believing that value promotion would transform Russia into a liberal democracy and a rules-based market economy. Examining the full situation, exploring political, military, economic and business spheres, the book provides a deep analysis of how the present confrontation has come about.

This book explores the detrimental effects on global peace of populism's tendency to present complex social issues in simplistic "good versus evil" terms. Analyzing the civilizational discourse of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky with respect to the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine--with his division of the world into "civilized us" versus "barbarian them"--the book argues that such a one-dimensional representation of complex social reality leaves no space for understanding the conflict and has little, if any, potential to bring about peace. To deconstruct the "civilization versus barbarism" discourse propagated by Zelensky, the book incorporates into its analysis alternative articulations of the crisis by oppositional voices. The author looks at the writing of several popular Ukrainian journalists and bloggers who have been excluded from the field of political representation within Ukraine, where all oppositional media are currently banned. Drawing on the discourse theory of Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe, the author argues that the incorporation of alternative perspectives, and silenced voices, is vitally important for understanding the complexity of all international conflicts, including the current one between Russia and Ukraine.

This open access book aims at discussing the manifold consequences that the War against Ukraine bears for the European Union and EU Studies. It takes stock of the fact that the Russian Attack on Ukraine and the ensuing War not only affects the Global Order, but also has challenged a number of established narratives and convictions for the European Union and its member states. The EU now needs to position itself in the changing world order. Concretely it needs to deal with a number of membership applications, internal and external challenges to liberal democracy, and the development of its strategic autonomy in a number of decisive policy fields. The book convenes experienced scholars, with chapters covering the following themes and fields: Theories, approaches and concepts in EU studies and IR; the EU and the changing European and Global Order; the War and defence of liberal democracy; Membership Politics; Energy Policy.

This book clarifies the evolving scenario of a conflict that, before tanks, had long been fought on the territory of aid. The author makes arguments about aid which can be traced back to three sets of issues: 1. Ukraines history from its independence in 1991 until the war in 2022, that witnessed the evolution of inter-state aid sent to Kyiv. This period anticipated the geo-political dispute over the countrys future, and was marked by confrontation between Donors who would later become the protagonists of the war scenario. 2. The exceptionality of the Ukrainian case is discussed by specifically identifying eight peculiarities of wartime aid: the response speed of Western Bilateral Donors; the leading role and primacy of the latter over the non-governmental sector; the key influence exercised by the Ukrainian recipient; the quantity and diversification of aid involved; Russias conversion of aid into hybrid weapons (Weaponization of Aid); the Wests provision of weapons as primary aid (Aidization of Weapons); the excessive anticipation of post-war planning initiatives; and sanctions modeled to represent a new form of aid. 3. Based on these peculiarities, a new model of Interventionist Aid is defined, characterized by a willingness to take an active part in the crisis in which the Donors operate, in order to condition its course and outcome.