One hundred years ago, the major nations of Europe went to war after a terrorist assassinated the heir to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Is Europe headed to war 100 years later by the ouster — apparently the legal ouster — of Ukraine Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych? In the American Interest, Walter Russell Mead, who is inclined to take a long view of current crises, rings the alarm bell.
Try a thought experiment. Suppose Yanukovych in Kharkov declares that his reported resignation was either a fake or signed under duress and non-binding. Suppose then that Russia recognizes him as the legal president of Ukraine and he asks for Russia’s help in restoring order. Suppose Russia then responds to this request by facilitating the consolidation of pro-Yanukovych authority in much of Ukraine while a new government in Kiev, recognized by the US and the EU, organizes the west.
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