IU students protest Russia's attacks on the Ukrainian people.
(Devan Ridgway, WTIU/WFIU News)
Russia's ongoing attack has left Ukrainian cities in rubble and citizens in hiding. At least 102 civilians have died and 304 have been injured so far.
It’s the latest challenge to a democratic government.
President Biden convened countries for the Summit for Democracy in December. One hundred countries joined the United States to tackle the greatest threats faced by democracies today.
IU Political Science professor Jack Bielasiak, who specializes in the process of democratization and in electoral and party systems, details how the invasion of Ukraine spotlights those threats and the delicate state of democracy globally.
“Well actually, democracy has sort of been in a recession now for 15 years or so,” Bielasiak said. “And I think the summit that President Biden convened was partially a response to the growing concerns that a lot of people have about how liberal democracy is being attacked.”
More countries have been turning away from democratic governance than to it in the past 15 years due to the economic impact of globalization, according to Bielasiak. Twenty percent of the world lives under democratic governments as of 2022, compared to 50% in 2005, Bielasiak said.
In an address to the European Union Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine is not only fighting for survival but also to be "equal members of Europe."
Ukraine is yet to be recognized as an official candidate for EU membership, even though in 2017 the country signed an association agreement with the EU with certain terms and conditions. The best decision the EU could make during this ongoing war is to accept Ukraine as a “new full-fledged member,” Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said in a tweet on Tuesday.
IU Political Science professor Dina Rome Spechler, who specializes in Russian foreign policy and diplomacy in the nuclear age, states that even she is surprised by the actions of Putin, who she has studied for over 20 years.
“I thought I sort of knew [Putin] and yet he surprised me by the invasion,” Spechler said. “And at this point, I can't say I know what he's going to do. I will say, he does have a history from the moment he came to power of an extraordinary ruthlessness.”
Both Spechler and Bielasiak said countries around the world, especially the United States, are already seeing the effects of the war. Currently, the United States is deciding on releasing emergency stockpiles of oil to offset supply fears triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“This is beyond Ukraine, it's beyond the region and there really needs to be a strong response to safeguard democracy, but also international norms of behavior to protect national sovereignty, territorial independence of countries, such as Ukraine,” Bielasiak said. “The assault that the Russians are engaged in is an attempt to both curtail the democratic progress that Ukraine has shown over the last few years and also to reconfigured international security structures around the world.”
Brent blend crude oil prices closed above $100 a barrel on Monday for the first time since 2014, with the national average of regular gasoline standing at $3.61 a gallon, according to AAA. This is up 8 cents in the past week and 25 cents within a month.
