Economic Interdependence and Realistic Interests: A Review of the Russia–Ukraine Conflict

The perception of conflicts between explicit political actors such as nation-states has an interesting peculiarity over its manifestation. When visible violent outbursts of conflict are absent, the international community often becomes optimistic and tends to envision a world matured from past failures (read conflict). This image is not formed by discounting the elements of latent conflict but is often built on the conviction that economic interdependence is infallible. The interdependence is understood to be such that, in a globalized world, often the perils—spillover effect of wars and the imposition of sanctions—deter conflict actors from engaging in one, and if engaged, not prolonging it. However, time and again, the repulsion between potential carnage and sanctions seems least effective. The international community is often taken off-guard by conflictual events that make them ponder if economic interdependence promoted through globalization is a true factor in preventing wars.