INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND SECURITY STUDIES, pages: 39 - 53, 2023

Leaders, States and war in Ukraine: back to the old school of realism?

Doi: https://doi.org/10.58603/IZMW7192

Abstract: Nowadays, the promises of a universal neoliberal order seem to have been hijacked by tendencies of illiberalism, authorianism and militarism all across the world, including in some Western societies. The complex crisis the current international system is facing, covering aspects from climate change to pandemies, and from political and financial instability to conflict and war, are picturing a grim reality. Does the grand old theory of realism coming back? Did we bury it too soon, academically speaking? The events in Ukraine, since 2014 and more sharply since 24 February 2022, prove that at least some realist and neorealist assumptions had survived and are still shaping the world. Russia under president Putin seems to lead a crusade of old Real-Politik practices deemed to topple not only Ukraine as an independent nation but also the foundations of the global neoliberal order.