午夜剧场

The full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia that began on February 24, 2022, was a shock. In the 21st century, such a blatant war of aggression between nations had actually occurred.

In Japan as well, television news and information programs became completely dominated by the invasion of Ukraine. For a while, I found myself in an abnormal situation, hopping between multiple TV appearances in a single day. Even after that, interest has persisted despite certain fluctuations. To be honest, this was a surprise.

It is self-evident that this war is "Putin's war" and "Russia's war." It is a war that would not have happened if they had not started it. Therefore, questions such as "What is Putin thinking?" and "What is Russia's next move?" are important. However, can we understand the meaning and the full picture of this war through those questions alone?

My own specialty is European international relations and security, including NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization). Nevertheless, the overwhelming majority of questions from the media are about Russia. I cannot count how many times I have told them, "I am not an expert on Russia."

When Russia illegally and unilaterally annexed Crimea in Ukraine in 2014, about eight years before the current war, public discourse was limited entirely to analysis of Russia. Based on that experience, I made up my mind this time to persistently communicate the European perspective.

The title "The Invasion of Ukraine as a European War" reflects those thoughts. If it had been a short-term conflict where Russia won in a few days as initially expected, this would have ended as Putin's or Russia's war. However, Ukraine's resistance succeeded, and Ukraine is surviving thanks to unprecedented support from the international community, centered on NATO countries and including Japan. And through this war, Europe has changed.

The degree to which we must look at Europe as a whole has increased. We must not let the discussion end with Russia alone. For matters regarding Russia, I would like to defer to works such as Yu Koizumi's "The Ukraine War" (Chikuma Shinsho, 2022). I hope for a division of labor where, by picking up my book as well, readers can get closer to the full picture, including Europe.

Michito Tsuruoka

Shincho Sensho

288 pages, 1,815 yen (tax included)

*Affiliations and titles are as of the time of publication.