Russia baffled the world by invading Ukraine this February, but we as members of society must interpret this event from a humanistic, economic, and cultural perspective.
In this situation, Russia has prioritized its interests over international cooperation. Even though it is challenging to determine the exact interests of Russia, as well as the plan that Vladimir Putin has with these actions, we can link them to the pursuit of economic and political advantages that would give him control of the region, along with the desire to push NATO and the West away from its borders. Due to these interests, we can find meaning in what is happening in Ukraine, from the moment of its invasion to how the world has responded.
Faced with this panorama, we are rethinking the way of seeing the world, since it was assumed that this stage of tensions and wars had ended and that we lived in a more cooperative and secure world. However, this situation puts to stagger different concepts of International Relations linked to security, as the model of global security, according to which all states must seek the protection of people, those who have the right to exist "safely" in all areas provided by the word. It should also be remarked on how this situation has impacted the world.
Russia is the world’s 3rd oil producer, the 2nd natural gas producer, and among the top 5 producers of steel, nickel, and aluminum. It is also the largest wheat exporter in the world (almost 20% of global trade). On its side, Ukraine is a key producer of corn (6th largest), wheat (7th), and sunflowers (1st), and is amongst the top ten producers of sugar beet, barley, soya, and rapeseed. On the day the invasion began, financial markets around the world fell sharply, and the prices of oil, natural gas, metals, and food commodities surged.
Following the latest developments, Brent oil prices breached USD 100 per barrel for the first time since 2014 (125$/b at the time of writing), while Europe’s TTF gas prices surged to a record EUR 192 on 4 March (Coface, 2022).
All above can explain the inflation and the economic changes the global market has suffered. From a social aspect, we can see how this situation has provoked a migration crisis in Europe, as well as trauma, loss, displacement, misinformation, and thousands of deaths.
Undoubtedly, this whole situation leaves us wondering whether the world is condemned to live continuously in dispute, or whether there is a way to transcend conflict. As we see, the world and the way we live conflict are continuously changing, and it is challenging to foresee how this conflict will continue to develop, so continuous analysis of the situation is crucial to understanding its development.
