When guns began firing again in Europe; why was it Ukraine that became the battlefield? Conventional wisdom dictates that Ukraine's current crisis can be traced to the linguistic differences and divided political loyalties that have long fractured the country. However this theory only obscures the true significance of Ukraine's recent civic revolution and the conflict's crucial international dimension. The 2013-14 Ukrainian revolution presented authoritarian powers in Russia with both a democratic and a geopolitical challenge. President Vladimir Putin reacted aggressively by annexing the Crimea and sponsoring the war in eastern Ukraine; and Russia's actions subsequently prompted Western sanctions and growing international tensions reminiscent of the Cold War. Though the media portrays the situation as an ethnic conflict; an internal Ukrainian affair; it is in reality reflective of a global discord; stemming from differing views on state power; civil society; and democracy.The Conflict in Ukraine: What Everyone Needs to Know explores Ukraine's contemporary conflict and complicated history of ethnic identity; and it does do so by weaving questions of the country's fraught relations with its former imperial master; Russia; throughout the narrative. In denying Ukraine's existence as a separate nation; Putin has adopted a stance similar to that of the last Russian tsars; who banned the Ukrainian language in print and on stage. Ukraine emerged as a nation-state as a result of the imperial collapse in 1917; but it was subsequently absorbed into the USSR. When the former Soviet republics became independent states in 1991; the Ukrainian authorities sought to assert their country's national distinctiveness; but they failed to reform the economy or eradicate corruption. As Serhy Yekelchyk explains; for the last 150 years recognition of Ukraine as a separate nation has been a litmus test of Russian democracy; and the Russian threat to Ukraine will remain in place for as long as the Putinist regime is in power. In this concise and penetrating book; Yekelchyk describes the current crisis in Ukraine; the country's ethnic composition; and the Ukrainian national identity. He takes readers through the history of Ukraine's emergence as a sovereign nation; the after-effects of communism; the Orange Revolution; the EuroMaidan; the annexation of the Crimean Peninsula; the war in the Donbas; and the West's attempts at peace making. The Conflict in Ukraine is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the forces that have shaped contemporary politics in this increasingly important part of Europe.What Everyone Needs to Know® is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press.
#1876168 in Books Hikoki Publications 2012-05-17Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 12.00 x 1.06 x 8.63l; 3.37 #File Name: 190210921X300 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. A very excellent book!By Geoffrey GunningA very excellent book and essential reading for the aircraft enthusiast. I have discussed a number of times with colleagues how the lack of information about post-war French aircraft is a gaping hole in aviation history - some spotty coverage here and there but little detail. Now at last extensive coverage of the Leduc Ramjets; Nord Griffon (both of which have always fascinated me); S.O.Trident et al. We learn that the Leduc 021 made a take-off from the back of a Languedoc at the Paris Air Show in 1955; followed by 2 passes at high speed under ramjet power. So where is the film of this? Don't tell me that this was not filmed! Someone needs to get films of these aircraft flying- surely they must have been saved. I agree with another reviewer - there are some notable omissions - Rotodyne; DO-31 (both of which I saw in action) and all those prototypes; some of which became service aircraft; e.g. EE P-1; DH-110; and those that didn't: Vickers-Supermarine 510; 1052; 1072 ; 508; etc. Whether these are all "research aircraft" is debatable.You can add to that the gorgeous Valiant B Mk 2; which never saw service. Fortunately most of these are covered in other books; but it would be marvelous to have them all in one gigantic volume to gorge on for months!1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Some curiously missing aircraft!By DiscernerThis is a truly wonderful book; on a subject that should have been rendered before. The photographs are stunning (in size and resolution). However; as often happens; the authorship may betray some research limitations of their countries of origin: United Kingdom and France. Missing: experimental aircraft from some remaining European nations; notably: Italy (also: any helicopters in their normal sense). Nonetheless; after a persistent diet of British aviation literature (and their perspectives): the usual merely-piecemeal treatment of French aircraft is finally overcome here. But plainly missing (and fully-worthy of inclusion): Ambrosini's "Sagittario" (Italy's first transonic fighter of the early-50s resembling a Republic Aviation style conception); West Germany's other VTOL demonstrator: Dornier DO 31 (small) troop transport. Also; while (conventional) helicopters were all excluded; VTOL aircraft conceptions were not: the Fairey Rotodyne should have been covered.Nonetheless; we are not likely see another English language book (on this subject) in our lifetimes. Given the magnificent scope of its post-WWII coverage (even with the omissions mentioned here); I am well pleased for a long time to come!3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Fills a big gap in my collectionBy CircuitdudeI can't say I was very familiar with European aviation RD projects from this era. Although I was aware of the existence of such planes as the Leduc; VJ 101C; Bristol 188; and the Coleoptere; I did not know very much in the way of details and certainly not the way their programs unfolded. This book has an excellent summary of these aircraft as well as many others I have never heard of. If you are tired of reading about earlier USA programs from the cold war era; then this book will be a refreshing treat.
