Lukes in El Mercurio on Russia-Ukraine Conflict
Igor Lukes, Professor of International Relations and History at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, was interviewed for a recent article on the ongoing tension between Russia and Ukraine.
Lukes was quoted in a November 28, 2018 article in El Mercurio entitled “Russia Warns That martial Law in Ukraine Can Lead to an Increase in Hostilities.”
From the text of the article:
“Ukraine’s interest is survival. By contrast, Russia seeks an imperialist objective: domination. Ukraine hopes to be left alone to pursue a path toward gradual integration with Europe. Russia fears Europe and treats the EU and NATO as its sworn enemies. In reality, Russia’s only enemy is Russia.”
“I don’t expect this conflict to escalate for the simple reason that no one has the courage to stand up and defend Ukraine against Russia aggression. On the contrary—when Russia violates an existing treaty with Ukraine and law of the sea and bars Ukrainian vessels from enjoying innocent passage into the Azov Sea, the world puts pressure not on the Russian aggressor but on its victim, Ukraine, and asks it to be “rational”. The world is upside down!”
Igor Lukes writes primarily about Central Europe. His publications deal with the interwar period, the Cold War, and contemporary developments in East Central Europe and Russia. His work has won the support of various other institutions, including Fulbright, Fulbright-Hays, the Woodrow Wilson Center, IREX, and the National Endowment for the Humanities. In 1997 Lukes won the Metcalf Award for Excellence in Teaching at Boston University.