Putin wants us “Recognition” of Russian winnings in Ukraine: Historian Russia-Ukraine War News

Whether in the form of the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union or the Russian Federation today, the passengers of the Kremlin began to admit as “great power.”

These ambitions explore the Russian-British historian Sergej Radchenko in his book to run the world: Kremlin Hija’s war offer for global power.

Radchenko talked with Al Jazeera about the need for Moscow for legitimisia at the world stage and the role he played in Russian Invasion in Ukraine.

Al Jazeera: Given the hostility between Moscow and West, can we live in another cold war?

Sergej Radchenko: The cold war had two forces that opposed to another other. One was the Soviet Union, one was the United States. In today’s setting, we have something that reminds that competition, but it is between the United States and China, ie. Peer competitors, not Russia.

As much as Putin wants to claim that it is, Russia is not exactly In the same league as well as China and the United States.

And during the Cold War, there was a clear opposition between these two rival camps – the capitalist world and the Socialist world. Today, it seems to be in a way, the United States, safely under the President (Donald) Trump, and Russia has more alignment than contradiction of value. We no longer hear about democracy against autocracy.

But there are continuity, and it seems that the key continuity is presence nuclear weapon. They will inevitably remain like … the main part of the picture.

Al Jazeera: To what extent does the desire for recognition run Kremlin politics?

Radchenko: I think this is the greatest continuity between the Cold War and the post of the Cold War. I claim that the foreign policies of the Soviet Union, China and Russia today were conducted above the desire to recognize themselves as legitimate large forces. You could see that the entire Soviet Cold War – wanted a recognition of its status as a super equal superpower with similar rights as in the United States. What were derived from such recognition are legitimacy, and sometimes they were willing to make compromises.

It was even true (Soviet Leader Josef) Stalin. People said all sorts of things about Stalin, many of which are true, is a terrible dictator and someone who was deeply cynical, manipulative … (but) even for Stalin, but with American recognition without American recognition. He supported the support of the communists in the Greek civil war by 1947. because there was an agreement with the British that Greece is in the British sphere of influence.

Thus, that principle of external recognition, especially American recognition of Soviet winnings, I think it continued and spilled into Russian foreign policy. If you look at Putin’s external policy today, what does he want above all? He wants the American recognition of Russian winnings in Ukraine as legitimate. He is obsessed with this idea. It feels like he can Decide the fate of Ukraine Through the head of Ukrainians and Europeans precisely because they do not care about them. He takes care of America who gives him the status of super equal high power.

Al Jazeera: What does this great description of the power look like?

Radchenko: He is very vision of Russia from the 19th century as a great power in the center of his own sphere of influence where he can project his power on his neighbors. The Soviet leaders also also came up with the countries next to the Soviet Union lying in its sphere of influence – Stalin was an imperial from the 19th century. Century.

What did they make them think they were so right? In 1963. Soviet Prime Minister Nikita Khrushchev met with (Cuban leader) Fidel Castro in the context of Split Sino-Soviet. Castro asked him, “Why are you arguing with the Chinese?”

“They want to play the first puzzle,” Khruschev replied.

In the company of friends, someone is recognized as a leader and that happens to natural, so Hrushchev felt that the Soviet Union deserved to be the great power and leader of the socialist camp, because he was only better than anyone else and deserved. It really doesn’t make sense to ask why – they just work, don’t they?

Putin, in several ways continues this tradition. When they feel others deny, then they have a responsibility to claim that claim to the sizes of violence. And we have what we have with Putin’s invasion in Ukraine. Countries belonging to that sphere of influence must be postponed on the desire desire, and if someone does not, like Ukraine, which provides a reason to punish them to show others.

Thinking globally, obviously if Russia has the right to your sphere of influence, you would think that the other great forces allowed theirs. And there’s Putin have some parallel thinking with Trump. You can see that right in Trump Rhetor’s O Panamanian channel, Canada As 51. State, what was discussed Greenland – It all implies that he thinks of the Western hemisphere as basically a playground in America.

During the Cold War any challenge for the global interests of America was considered potentially significant. Whether it happened in Vietnam, in Afghanistan (or) Africa, it is all important for the United States because they dealt with this global struggle for influence with the Soviet Union. Even in West Berlin, far from America, surrounded by East German controlled Soviet, Americans were willing to go to the edge of the nuclear war to defend their right to stay there.

Today, it seems to be Trump’s eyesight something else. American interests are no longer global.

Al Jazeera: How does someone differ between great powers and “smaller” nations?

Radchenko: America was mostly a great power that naturally wanted to be recognized. But gradually and reluctantly, they came and recognized China as an almost natural right to great power.

But at the same time they formed a very negative view of many European countries, the feeling that their age has already passed. They concluded during and after World War II that Europe was spent forces. Once, maybe the United Kingdom might somehow be great power in Europe, but that impression was faded after it became clear that Britain is just an island, and not the empire that is able to claim their imperial size, for example, during the Suezic Crisis.

Although even today you have little obsessions in Russia with “Anglo-Saxoni”, as if there is a kind Reasonable conspiracy To return to the UK into great power.

Al Jazeera: Russia has numerous social problems. Why not spend this energy by improving Russian lives?

Radchenko: The country that was historically conditioned for itself as great power, precisely due to dominant over its weaker neighbors, defines the size through that lens. In other words, they only feel great when they are able to dominate others – that then the Russian greatness in the eyes of many Russians is highlighted. And I think that will prioritize over almost everything else.

One of the things that happened in the Soviet Union was, ultimately that Backgain did not hold. The Soviets argued that they were great power, but they were not absolutely able to submit for their people.

Today, Russia is trying to strike with a balance: on the one hand, projects this imperial size and sells it to their own people; On the other hand, there is still toilet paper. And yes, the quality of life is not as high as it could be if Russia focused on their own internal problems and did not pay for war against the neighbors. But it is not a difficult situation as in the USSR. So, this allows greater resistance to the Soviet model.

Editor’s Note: This interview is slightly edited for clarity and brevity.