Reference no: EM133768628

U.S. Foreign Policy - Ukraine

The United States is struggling to deal with the ongoing crisis in Ukraine. Russia, growing increasingly aggressive under President Vladimir Putin, invaded Crimea in 2014 and got almost no international pushback, which may have emboldened him to think Russia would suffer little international resistance to invading Ukraine.

Ukraine is an important target. Known as the "breadbasket of Europe" for its rich agricultural production, successfully conquering Ukraine would also give the Russian navy and merchant ships access to the Black Sea - warm water ports that connect through the Mediterranean to the Atlantic Ocean, and through the Suez Canal to the Indian Ocean.

The United States is in a difficult spot. The rest of the world looks to the U.S. for leadership in situations like this. We have the largest and most advanced military in the history of the world. If the U.S. sits back and allows Russia to conquer Ukraine, Georgia is likely next. Russia's economy is fragile, and the current strategy of sanctions will create some hardship for Russia, but they might not be enough. A full scale war with Russia - a war between two nuclear powers - over Ukraine, no matter how well justified, could have devastating results for the entire planet.

I hesitate to say a lot about the progress of the Russian invasion as I write these assignment directions - a lot can change between now and November, when you'll be doing this assignment. If you're reading this early in the semester, know that I'll add more detail and some current links as we get closer to the due date.

Your assignment is to write our standard 2-5 page college-level essay about United States foreign policy options with respect to Ukraine. What, if anything, should the U.S. do? If you were advising President Biden, what would you recommend? (Remember, this isn't an essay about Ukraine, or the Russian invasion of Ukraine, or what you think of Vladimir Putin - it's an essay about U.S. foreign policy options regarding Ukraine.)