{"id":591441,"date":"2023-09-16T18:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-09-16T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/ukraines-best-defense-is-to-decolonize-the-russian-federation-from-within\/"},"modified":"2023-09-16T18:00:00","modified_gmt":"2023-09-16T15:00:00","slug":"ukraines-best-defense-is-to-decolonize-the-russian-federation-from-within","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/ukraines-best-defense-is-to-decolonize-the-russian-federation-from-within\/","title":{"rendered":"#Ukraine\u2019s best defense is to decolonize the Russian Federation from within"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1631339026.jpg?w=900\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Last month, Ukraine\u2019s parliament established a special committee to formulate a legal framework for interactions with small and indigenous national movements within Russia. Its underlying goal is to establish enduring peace for both Ukraine and the trans-Atlantic community.<\/p>\n<p>No treaty, political engagement, diplomatic arrangement or extensive dialogue has proven sufficient to deter Russian President Vladimir Putin\u2019s aspirations to impose his will on other nations. The contemporary Russian political tradition is notorious for disregarding commitments made to those perceived as rivals, rebels, or revolutionaries who challenge the ruling clique in Moscow. The imperial mindset, characterized by notions such as \u201ccivilizing missions,\u201d \u201cnatural spheres of influence,\u201d \u201cnon-historic nations\u201d and \u2018hierarchy of cultures\u201d is deeply ingrained in the political culture of this vast multi-ethnic state created through conquest.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr1_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>Resurgent Russian imperial ambitions shine through in the backing of separatists in Moldova and Georgia during the early 1990s, as well as subsequent invasions of Chechnya and Georgia. More recent cyberattacks against Estonia, France and Romania, along with ongoing efforts to manipulate public opinion in the U.S., demonstrate that even a weakened imperialist Russia remains a significant threat to NATO. <\/p>\n<p>Russia\u2019s 2022 invasion of Ukraine marked the culmination of a deliberate strategy set in motion decades earlier. Consequently, it will not be enough merely to compel Russia to withdraw from Ukraine. This will not quell Kremlin ambitions or offer a lasting solution. Instead, drawing from our painful experiences, a broad consensus prevails across the Ukrainian political spectrum that Russia will continue to pose a threat to its neighbors as long as it clings to its current political mindset and retains its imperialistic past. <\/p>\n<p>Many of our partners believe that effecting change entails engaging with the Russian democratic opposition and pressuring the Kremlin to embrace a diversified political system. We remain deeply skeptical. The full-scale invasion of Ukraine revealed that Russian society is broadly either cheering or ignoring the war, with a negligible minority actively opposing it. Simultaneously, numerous leaders within the Russian democratic opposition exhibit the same imperialistic mentality as the current regime, vehemently attacking grassroots initiatives that challenge the concept of a \u201cunited and indivisible Russia.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The majority of genuine de-colonization initiatives, shunned by the Russian opposition, originate from various ethnic groups resisting the forced Russification of their societies. Although ethnic groups in Russia briefly experienced political and cultural autonomy following the Soviet Union\u2019s collapse, this was swiftly reversed in the early 2000s. The Russian government has since worked to dismantle any traces of political autonomy in ethnic regions. It has also reintroduced Russification policies into the educational and public spheres, and eroded financial independence, which previously allowed ethnic republics to sustain themselves. <\/p>\n<p>This, in conjunction with a subtle campaign to vilify those openly opposing Russification, has multiplied tensions in these ethnic regions.<\/p>\n<p>Russia\u2019s current descent into full-fledged authoritarianism, coupled with <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">media<\/a> restrictions reminiscent of China\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>roach, fosters societal animosity toward dissenters from the \u201cgreat mission of Russia.\u201d Meanwhile, the ongoing decline of Russia\u2019s federal system and economy compels the government to lean on its military and secret police to ensure stability and survival of its regime. <\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr2_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>This leaves underfunded the local administrations responsible for supporting deteriorating infrastructure and social services. Such developments, combined with the push for Russification, could lead to a grim scenario, dreaded by many in Washington \u2014 either the rapid decline and violent disintegration of Russia, or else its transformation into a new Soviet Union that actively strives to dismantle the Euro-Atlantic community.<\/p>\n<p>We believe that the main challenge to Moscow\u2019s imperialism will arise from the efforts of ethnic minorities inside Russia to decolonize themselves. Their sheer numbers preclude coercion or intimidation into silence. Their grievances are too conspicuous to be disregarded indefinitely. Their current predicament leaves them with few alternatives: either total erasure of their identity or engagement in a political struggle to challenge the existing status quo. <\/p>\n<p>If properly supported, a drive for decolonization can generate enough momentum to foster a potent political discourse, founded on non-imperialistic values such as inclusivity, rejection of Russification, genuine diversity, and acknowledgment of ethnic minority rights. This can also lead to the establishment of stable, non-authoritarian political entities in the event of Russia\u2019s disintegration.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr3_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>For this vision to materialize, active engagement with these ethnic groups that advocate for non-authoritarian governance is imperative. We must establish communication channels with such groups, engage their leaders, and explore frameworks of mutual responsibilities, particularly centered around the commitment to non-violence and inclusivity. <\/p>\n<p>We are confident that this engagement will bolster Euro-Atlantic security and reduce future threats by constraining Russia\u2019s ability to lash out at its neighbors. An internal political transformation can deter aggressive wars by a decolonized and diminished Russian state.<\/p>\n<p><em>Yaroslav Yurchyshyn is a member of Ukraine\u2019s parliament and head of its Temporary Special Commission on Development of Basic Principles of State Policy for Cooperation with National Movements of Small and Indigenous Peoples of the Russian Federation<\/em>.\n<\/div>\n<p>Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/opinion\/national-security\/4204367-ukraines-best-defense-is-to-decolonize-the-russian-federation-from-within\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Last month, Ukraine\u2019s parliament established a special committee to formulate a legal framework for interactions with small and indigenous national movements within Russia. Its underlying goal is to establish enduring peace for both Ukraine and the trans-Atlantic community. No treaty, political engagement, diplomatic arrangement or extensive dialogue has proven sufficient to deter Russian President Vladimir&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":591442,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1631339026.jpg?w=1280","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[117,134343,134353,86421,124783,71525,4975,134904,70868,73234],"class_list":["post-591441","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-business","tag-campaign","tag-court-battles","tag-criminal-justice","tag-international","tag-national-security","tag-russia","tag-russia-ukraine-war","tag-ukraine","tag-vladimir-putin"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/591441","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=591441"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/591441\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/591442"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=591441"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=591441"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=591441"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}