The Russian annexation of Crimean peninsula has raised concerns of a revisionist power, that seeking to overhaul the post-Cold War geopolitical settlement in Eastern Europe. This growing assertiveness has led the international community to believe that Russia will no longer adhere to its liberal norms. This essay provides a realist explanation, for recent actions by the Kremlin, as it seeks to ensure its own security against Western influence upon its borders.
Realism, in the context of international relations, argues that states are rational actors, who undertake measures to ensure their own survival, in a world governed by anarchy. As there is no overriding authority in the international system, states are responsible for their own security, which can only be achieved through the accumulation of power. The intentions of other states are unknown, therefore states embrace the principle of self-help, and attempt to advance their own material interests to maximize their likelihood of existence. The takeover of the Crimean peninsula is Russia's reaction towards the ousting of President Yanukovych, who had rejected a European Union Association Agreement (AA), in favor of an action plan with them.
To safeguard its own interests, Russia resorted to military action to prevent an unfavorable balance of power. One of the leading factors that led to the 2008 South Ossetia War, was the proposed admission of Georgia and Ukraine into NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation). Despite an agreement between the United States (US) and Soviet Union during the 1989 Malta Summit that NATO was not to expand beyond East Germany, the military alliance now comprises of twenty-eight countries with its eastward enlargement. Georgia and Ukraine are of strategic importance to Russia, the former with direct access to oil within the Caspian Sea basin, and the latter possessing the Sevastopol naval base. Following Georgia's defeat in 2008, Russian forces forced a settlement, that undermined its potential to threaten its interests.
