Magical realism: assumptions, evidence and prescriptions in the Ukraine conflict
Journal: Eurasian Geography and Economics
Year: 2019

The term “realism” has been invoked often in discussions of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, both to explain what happened and to evaluate potential policy options for the West. This article examines the application of realist international relations theory to the conflict, focusing on two crucial issues. First, before one can apply realist theory to any topic, one must specify what version of the theory one is applying. Whether one adopts “offensive” or “defensive” realism is potentially decisive i