THE LOGIC OF MULTILATERAL ASYMMETRIC CONFLICTS: THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR CASE
THE LOGIC OF MULTILATERAL ASYMMETRIC CONFLICTS: THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR CASE

Summary/Abstract: One of the determining factors in the current system of international relations remains the de facto inequality of nations. This problem is key to the origins of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the world's reaction to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.The international system today contains many connections and mediations, some of which are regulated, and others are informal. One of the common types of relations among actors in international politics is asymmetric relations, which are often friendly or of partnership but, under certain conditions, can become confrontational. The current conflict between Ukraine and Russia demonstrates how asymmetric relations become conflictual. In the example of this conflict, we also see that asymmetric relations form a whole complex of relations, which includes international actors at different levels – the Western community, Russia, Ukraine, and separatist entities supported by Russia in Ukraine. This situation is quite typical of several modern international conflicts. Its general logic is reproduced in various hot spots of the world. We propose to consider this model of relations as an example of a special kind of asymmetry – replicant asymmetry – when the same conditions and conflicts arise simultaneously at several hierarchical levels of international relations. The crisis possibility of replicant asymmetry is based on several motivational factors. Under certain conditions, they push the potential conflict on the escalation way. An increase in voltage or a rupture of one of the chains of replicant asymmetry automatically provokes a crisis in all other chains.

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