The Russia-Ukraine War in the Interpretation of Structural Realism

Abstract

The Russia-Ukraine War has become a critical factor in present-day International Relations, a subject of reflection by representatives of all major traditions in the theory of International Relations. The study aims to determine the peculiarities of the interpretation of the origin, nature and possible consequences of present-day Russia’s war in Ukraine within the framework of neorealism. All realist theories are united by the recognition of sovereign states as key actors of world politics, which act rationally, trying to maximize their influence in the international system. The realists understand anarchy as the absence of a legitimate supreme authority to regulate disputes and ensure the implementation of agreements between states or other subjects. At the same time, the anarchy of the system does not act as a direct cause of war but creates a favourable environment for its conflict of interests and international rivalry. The determining factor in world politics, which explains the causes and course, as well as the results of wars and the prospects for peace, is the distribution of power in the international system. The founder of neorealism, Kenneth Waltz, considered the structural characteristics of the international system, to which he refers anarchy and the distribution of power within the system, to be fundamental. Accordingly, structural realists consider the «deep cause» of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to be the West’s violation of the balance of power because of NATO’s expansion to the East, which corresponds to the perception of International Relations in the context of endless competition between great powers for influence in the international system. The neorealist interpretation of war has some severe shortcomings that have become the subject of criticism from the representatives of other approaches within the framework of realism (neoclassical realism, renewed classical realism) and researchers presenting other theoretical traditions (constructivism, Historical Sociology in International Relations).