Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine has sent shockwaves around the world. It is the largest war in Europe in the nearly 80 years since the end of World War II and the largest invasion of a sovereign country since the end of the Cold War. Some critics say that this is the closest we have come to a third world war after the Cold War.
Ziding Zhou, host of the military YouTube channel “Exploration Time,” said on Pinnacle View that the Russian army had gotten off on the wrong foot, and the planned blitzkrieg war has turned into a seesaw battle. Zhou noted that Ukraine’s performance has exceeded the predictions of many military experts and intelligence personnel. He also referenced the Afghan government and army and praised the will of the Ukrainian military and civilians in resisting. Regarding the crisis in the Taiwan Strait, Zhou said that the Russian army’s poor performance in Ukraine will dispel any of the Chinese Communist Party’s thoughts of attacking Taiwan.
So, what has happened to the international situation since the Cold War so far? Why did Russia start this war at this moment? How will this war go? And what impact will it have on the evolution of the world landscape?
Stu Cvrk, a military and strategic researcher and former U.S. Navy captain, told Pinnacle View that the West did not pursue the mini-Marshall plan after the Cold War, which would have helped save Russia and bring it into the international system. Cvrk said: “When we had the opportunity to really do something to help them enter the Western capitalist system after the collapse of the Soviet Union, we actually didn’t do that. We pushed NATO to the border.”
Bradley A. Thayer, a founding member of the U.S. think tank “Responding to Communist China: The Current Crisis Committee,” said on Pinnacle View that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s grand strategic goal is to rebuild a greater Russia. However, as the West becomes increasingly aware of the threat from communist China and the need to address it, Bradley argued that the West’s short-term goal is to aid Ukraine against Russia and increase the cost of the war for Russia, but the long-term goal is to unite with Russia against communist China. Bradley pointed out: “From the perspective of triangular strategy, the United States should be closer to Russia than to China. … Establishing some kind of positive security relationship with Russia against China is clearly our strategic goal. ”
The new TV program Pinnacle View, launched by New Tang Dynasty and The Epoch Times at the end of last year, is a high-end TV forum based on events surrounding China. The program gathers elites from all walks of life around the world, focuses on hot issues, analyzes the world’s major trends, and provides Chinese viewers with in-depth observations on current events and historical facts.
This issue of Pinnacle View focuses on the war in Ukraine and the international background of this war, exploring the success or failure of U.S. and Western strategies toward Russia after the Cold War, as well as the future direction of the Russo-Ukrainian war and other issues.