Seminar in Comparative Politics: Russia, Ukraine, and the New Cold War

Russia and Ukraine share a long and sometimes violent history that has both united and divided them. They stand at the center of what has been dubbed "the new Cold War". This seminar examines politics in Russia and Ukraine since the collapse of communism, focusing on the rise of Putinism, the causes of two revolutions in Ukraine within a decade, and the 2014 invasion of Crimea and war in the Donbass. Through the Russian-Ukrainian relationship, the course will seek to understand the dilemmas of post-communist development, the roots of "the new Cold War", and the challenges a resurgent Russia presents for Eurasia and the rest of the world.