After a week of occupation by Russian soldiers, the government of Ukraine's Crimea region voted Thursday night to leave Ukraine and become part of Russia. The referendum will be put to a regional vote in 10 days. Russian President Vladimir Putin sent soldiers to Crimea at the request of ousted Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, but Ukraine's new Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk has stated that Crimea "was, is, and will be an integral part of Ukraine." Yatsenyuk denies seeking military aid from the United States, but both the U.S. and European Union have considered placing economic and political sanctions on Russia. How should the U.S. respond to the situation in Crimea?

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Prof. Chandler Rosenberger (IGS)

First, repeat simple facts. Russia invaded a sovereign state, seized its territory, then overthrew the elected government of the region it occupied. A referendum under those conditions won't be worth the paper that Moscow's fake ballots will be printed on. Russia pretends that its assault is the moral equivalent of Ukraine's constitutional removal of a felonious president. We must not let Moscow's smokescreens obscure its belligerence. Second, we should commit to the success of democratic Ukraine. Ukraine can't take Crimea back, but it can make a mockery of Putin's paranoid protection racket. Let's help the Ukrainians secure their currency and make it easy for U.S. and European firms to invest in Ukrainian businesses. Let's bring Ukrainian legislators to Washington, D.C. and Ukrainian students to Brandeis. Let's pay for Yo-Yo Ma, Beyonc?(c), and Michael Chabon to visit Kiev. Let's help Ukraine become the prosperous and free country that 104 people died dreaming of.

Prof. Chandler Rosenberger (IGS) is the chair of the International and Global Studies program.

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Lilia Leybova '15

The situation in Ukraine is very dangerous and unsteady. The logical answer would be to figure out a way to reach a solution peacefully, however this would only be possible if Russia was [sic] willing to cooperate. I agree with the current actions that both the United States and the EU are taking to try and reason with Russia and pressure them into ending their current seize of the Crimean Peninsula. I do not believe that the U.S. should take any military action as this could easily escalate and lead to unwanted consequences. Hopefully, the current political sanctions, including issuing visa bans to those who are considered responsible for undermining Ukrainian sovereignty, being taken will cause Russia to re-evaluate its decisions. In addition, I think that it is critical for the U.S. and the EU to support Ukraine throughout this troublesome time while still trying to resolve it as peacefully as possible. 

Lilia Leybova '15 was born in Ukraine. She is a biochemistry major.

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Elizabeth Zharovsky '15

This is definitely a complex issue, especially given the history between the U.S. and Russia. The Crimea region was given to Ukraine under the Soviet regime because at that time, it didn't really matter who the land belonged to. Now, Putin has decided he wants it back, presumably to use the land as leverage in negotiations with the new Ukrainian government. The United States and EU have tried to conduct peaceful talks with Russia. Honestly, at this point, the U.S. should stay out of it because our continued involvement will just further tensions between us and Russia. Whatever Putin has in mind has already been decided, regardless of what the U.S. has to say about it.

Elizabeth Zharovsky '15 is a Russian Studies minor and president of Russian Club.

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Dan Rozel '16

The situation in Crimea is a cause for concern throughout the entire international community, and like Kosovo and Abkhazia, there is no simple course of action for the United States as a world superpower. This is a particularly delicate situation for the United States, as the imposition of sanctions on Russia flies in the face of the American belief of self-sovereignty. One could say that these sanctions would be the United States essentially not acknowledging the right of the autonomous people of Crimea to choose their own associations. However, I am still of the belief that the U.S. and EU should impose sanctions purely based on the method by which the Russians "liberated" the Crimeans. Sending troops into an autonomous region to "protect" it, especially when that region subsequently votes to join the invading country, feels like an unacceptable return to imperialism and brute force colonization.

Dan Rozel '16 is an undergraduate fellow of the Brandeis Genesis Institute for Russian Jewry.