A Geopolitical Flashpoint: Why Ukraine Is at the Center of World Issues

Abstract

Upon announcing a full scale invasion of Ukraine, Putin and Russia not only disrupted the thin peace and political arena in the region but also set forth severe economic turmoil with global reverberations. With the conflict being such an international emergency with multiple involved parties, the Ukraine Crisis, with all the sanctions and export shortages, has become a real concern. This has only been amplified by the rise of globalization in the 21st century. Gas and energy shortages have already been felt with severe hikes in prices around the world due to high sanctions on Russian oil. Projected food shortages from both a lack of Russian and Ukrainian fertilizers and an inability to export Ukrainian wheat also poses a huge threat. In my paper, I explore geopolitical and economic factors that explain how a border dispute evolved into an international crisis, affecting countries a full hemisphere from the fighting.