The United States and its allies have imposed crippling sanctions on Russia, and its economy will suffer the impacts. The Western powers are forming an anti-Russian bloc that has opposed Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. They have applied containment doctrine with financial pressure to isolate Putin’s Russia.
Russia Confused the West in Ukraine
Russian troops have massed near the Ukrainian borders since a few months back, and they invaded Ukraine on February 24. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he would protect his country and guard its borders against a NATO neighbour. Perhaps Putin’s Russia aims to restore its great power status in parts of Europe beyond Ukraine.
Three decades ago, the Soviet Union collapsed, and the United States and its allies have formed a Euro-Atlantic security architecture. Putin has constantly challenged this system and complained about ignoring Russia’s security worries. Vladimir Putin has demanded that the United States and its allies recognize Russia’s right in the post-Soviet region. Russia has staged attacks and recognized the independence of some parts of Georgia in 2008 and seized Crimea in 2014. It has launched all-out aggression against Ukraine and frightened the West about its strategic goal in Eastern Europe.
The West Should Use Containment DoctrineÂ
It is a critical time for the United States to predict the next move by Putin’s Russia and act in time. The United States and its allies can revive George Kennan and Dean Acheson’s doctrine to isolate Vladimir Putin. The containment doctrine has begun with economic sanctions as a more effective tool in modern days. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) posed a military containment to deter potential Russian assault in the post-war world. Today, Putin’s Russia will lose much more than the United States and its allies after implementing economic sanctions. Russia’s trade is more vulnerable because its trade share is lower than the United States and its allies. Comprehensive and long-term sanctions will have increasing political impacts after a period of adjustment in global trade. The United States and its allies should use financial sanctions to put pressure on Vladimir Putin.
Russia Against Ukraine in Western Orbit
An independent Ukraine would possibly become a member of NATO, and it would be a threat to Putin’s Russia. The United States and its allies know that Putin has more goals of rebuilding the old Russia by attacking Ukraine. The war will be devastating, and the Western power’s partners have not deployed any troops in Ukraine. Nonetheless, they have their troops settled around Ukraine in NATO countries. The United States and its allies are prudent, and no one knows what will happen next. Vladimir Putin could keep the war going until he takes control over the whole of Ukraine. Putin believes that Russia has a right over the former countries of the Soviet Union. He has already said Russia had created modern Ukraine and opposed bringing Ukraine into the Western orbit.
Russia Seeks Influence in Ex-Soviet Countries
Kremlin’s spokesperson has recently said Moscow would stop military operations when Kyiv meets Russia’s conditions. Vladimir Putin has demanded Ukraine to acknowledge Crimea as Russian territory. Putin’s Russia has also required Donetsk and Lugansk’s independence by Ukraine. Moreover, the Russian government wants changes in Ukraine’s constitution and military actions’ cease. Vladimir Putin’s efforts to strengthen Russia’s influence over its backyard have reached a high level in Ukraine.
As a KGB officer, Putin had said the Soviet Union’s collapse was the most significant geopolitical catastrophe in the 20th century. Putin’s Russia is a tremendous regional military power and can project management regionally. The United States and its allies must know Vladimir Putin’s high ambitions in Eastern Europe. Although they need to wait for his next moves, the West should press Putin’s Russia economically and not militarily.
The West Launches Economic War
Returning to a period of bipolar international relations is likeable now, so the West should be alert. The collapse of the weak Soviet Union and the emergence of the Liberal World Order have overturned a bipolar structure. After 1991, the United States and its allies have played a dominant role in international affairs with their military might. Today, Russia is a solid military power with high-tech weaponry and has become a nuclear superpower. Several scenarios could cause a military confrontation between NATO allies and Moscow. There is a potential for a real European war or even a world war. The US government needs to employ economic war against Russia to isolate Putin and discourage him from aggressions. Economic warfare is a form of destructive and dangerous conflict, and the West should apply it with sanctions.
Sanctions Cripple RussiaÂ
After the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, the United States and its allies have launched an economic war. There are technical and financial sanctions to prevent Russia from purchasing equipment and cutting its foreign assets. The US government has held meetings with its NATO allies, and they have agreed on severe sanctions against Russia. The United States and its allies have provided defensive weapons to Ukraine and their partners in the European countries. Washington has assured its NATO allies in Eastern flank and countries bordering Russia that the US is committed to protecting them. However, the West should carefully avoid any direct conflict with Russia because it owns the world’s largest nuclear arsenal. A drop in energy export revenues is such a big deal that it could bring economic chaos to Russia. The new range of sanctions will destabilize the Russian economy during critical wartime.
Conclusion
Vladimir Putin has launched an invasion in Ukraine from the north, east, and south since February 24. Putin’s long-term goal in Eastern Europe is a return to the power that Russia lost dramatically 30 years ago. Russia and Ukraine share historical and cultural values, and Moscow wants to keep Kyiv from the West. Putin has always been against Ukraine joining NATO and warned the alliance not to deploy troops near its borders. There’s much uncertainty about what’s happening right now, as the situation has been unpredictable. The United States and its allies should avoid military action and continue the economic war against Putin’s Russia. The Western powers must stay vigilant and wait for Vladimir Putin’s next move. The US must help return the world to post-Cold War reform to prevent a repetition of the Ukraine conflict.
