Professor Kimberly Marten, an expert on Eurasian politics, has recently provided commentary to major international news organizations on the continuing diplomatic crisis in Ukraine and Russia. Recent coverage includes the Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Huffington Post, and more.
In a recent front-page Wall Street Journal article, Prof. Marten comments on negotiations for a cease-fire deal that would end the nearly five-month conflict between Russia and Ukraine. An excerpt:
"President Obama in particular has made it clear all along that it's not forthcoming, that there is no military solution, which is a way of saying: Ukraine, you have to bargain, because you're not going to win militarily," said Kimberly Marten, a political-science professor and Russia expert at Columbia University's Barnard College.
Ukraine's broad military gains in recent months obscured that message. Ukrainian forces had been taking back rebel-held territory and closing in on regional capitals that had become separatist strongholds. But last week, what Western officials described as an incursion of Russian soldiers and materiel dealt a deep blow to Ukrainian forces, sending them into retreat.
"At some point Ukraine is going to have to give in to some sort of Russian political pressure, Ms. Marten said. "The only question is, 'At what point does Ukraine say 'now is the time,' and how much are they going to give in?"
Read the full article.
Read Prof. Marten's recent guest post for The Washington Post's "Monkey Cage" blog about why arming Ukraine is a bad idea.
In a European Leadership Network blog post, Prof. Marten considers the possible political outcomes of the conflict in Ukraine.
Prof. Marten also contributed a recent column for The Huffington Post on why sanctions against Russia might backfire.
Prof. Marten, Barnard's Ann Whitney Olin Professor of Political Science, specializes in international relations and international security. Her research focuses on warlords and militias and their relationship to sovereign states and state security institutions, in places ranging from Afghanistan and Iraq to the former Soviet Union.
