Contemporary World Politics Professor: Kim Jae Chun Spring 2016 I39019 Sarana Lkhasaranova I39030 Nick Trillo

Table of Contents:  World news reports from the past week  Part 1: Russian Involved Conflicts in Georgia, Ukraine, and Crimea  Background and introduction to the Russian-Georgian 2008 war  Russia’s involvement in the Ukrainian revolution 2014  Russia’s annexation of Crimea 2015  Part 2: Economical and Political Consequences from these Conflicts:  Economic and Political sanctions placed upon Russia  The consequences of a new American president upon Russian/ Western relations  Are Russia and the West heading towards a new Cold War?  Part 3: The Future  Russia’s pivot towards Asia

Background to Russian- Georgian War:  Historically Georgian land, but other ethnic groups also reside there  After Georgian independence from the Soviet Union, South Ossetia and Abkhazia sought independence from Georgia resulting in them becoming autonomous republics in the early 1990s  ‘Rose Revolution’ 2003: Pro Western president Mikheil Saakashvili comes to power, goal to reunify break away territories under Georgia

Georgian conflict background video:

Russian- Georgian War 2008:

Russian- Georgian War 2008 video: l2aUUgzQ

Ukrainian Crisis 2014:  President Victor Yanukovych had backed away from joining the EU in 2013, upsetting many in Western Ukraine. Also signed a multi-billion dollar loan deal strengthening ties with Russia  February 2014 anti government protests in Kiev ousted the pro Russian president Viktor Yanukovych replacing him with a pro EU interim government.  These protests ignited tension in pro Russian south eastern regions, leading to armed conflict in Donbass and Russia’s take over of Crimea in  To this day the conflict in the East is in stalemate, with the new Ukraine government unable to totally control the Russian backed rebels.

Ukraine Revolution videos: Simple explanation to the background of the Ukrainian revolution (3 minutes) Why are some Ukrainians against the new government? Radical groups within the Ukrainian revolution:

Russian Annexation/Return of Crimea:  In 2014 a referendum was held asking the Crimean people whether they would like to be integrated into the Russian Federation, or remain part of Ukraine. The result was overwhelmingly in favor of becoming a Russian federal subject, yet Ukraine and the West condemned this move as illegal:  Ukraine perspective:  The referendum was illegal and invalid  Russian forces illegally occupied the Crimean peninsular, creating an atmosphere of fear and intimidation  The move is banned under international law, Russia infringed upon Ukrainian sovereignty by illegally occupying the peninsular  Russian perspective:  The referendum was free and fair, the results are legitimate  The Crimean people have the right to self determination, they expressed their decision to join Russia  Crimean is historically Russian land, it is now being returned, not annexed

Crimean video: Crimea returns to Russia: BBC reporter in Crimea covering the referendum

Countries benefitting from sanctions against Russia:  Another effect of the sanctions placed upon Russia is the opening up of new channels of trade and economic opportunity for Russia and many other countries. These countries include:  Brazil  Belorussia  Serbia  China  Turkey  Chile  Argentina  Tunisia  South Africa  And others…  This is has a significant impact on the routes of trade and political ties with Russia and many other countries. Have these sanctions and counter- sanctions had any impact upon your country (positive or negative)?

Sanctions against Russia videos: US State department video explains sanctions against Russia (2.30 minutes) Western sanctions bite the Russian economy: EU opposition to sanctions against Russia:

Political Consequences for Russia:  Another significant political consequence of the Ukrainian conflict was the kicking out of Russia from the G8.

A new American president?  It looks almost certain that the American presidential election of 2016 will be a showdown between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. These two nominations have already said a few words about their opinion/ stance towards Russia and Vladimir Putin. Let’s take a look…  Donald Trump: china-friendship.cnn  Hillary Clinton:

 Contributing towards these worsening relations are highly inflammatory remarks made by high level officials regarding Russia, and also a significant difference in media coverage between Western and Russian media. Here are some examples…

A New Cold War? Videos: Are Russia and the West heading towards a new Cold War? possible-new-cold-war-lead-sciutto-live.cnn possible-new-cold-war-lead-sciutto-live.cnn Jen Psaki spokesperson for US State Department on Russia: Putin’s take on rising tensions with the West:

The Future: Russia’s pivot towards the East  Just like the USA, Russia has also expressed interest towards deepening relations, both politically and economically, with Asian nations. This includes strengthening ties with China, India, and South Korea…  Russia’s pivot towards the East:  Why do China and Russia love each other?

Discussion Questions #1: 1. Do you agree that there are similarities between the Georgian conflict and the recent Ukrainian conflict? 2. Is Russia justified by supporting the rebels in Ukraine? Or are they meddling in a sovereign nation’s affairs? 3. Did Russia annex the Crimean peninsula? Or did it simply take back(return, reunify) what has always been Russian territory? 4. Do you think the sanctions placed upon Russia by the West are fair? How have the sanctions affected your country and is there a better strategy the international community can use to contain perceived Russian aggression? 5. How do you think a new American president will affect USA-Russian relations? Clinton - Trump?

Discussion Questions #2: 5. Are Russia and the West heading towards a new Cold War? 6. Is there a negative bias towards Russia in the Western media? How is Russia portrayed by the media in your county? 7. Where do you see future Korean-Russian relations? Is there any possibility of high Russian SK cooperation, given SK’s strong relationship with the USA? 8. How does Russian foreign policy affect your country? Has it changed in recent years?