Borders
Cal Russell
Borders: Russia & Ukraine (ISTD Submission)
‘Borders: Russia & Ukraine’ is a document designed in response to the 2023 ISTD Line brief. The aspect of line I have chosen to focus on is borders, more specifically borders between countries and territories. This project takes an impartial and neutral look at the border between Russia and Ukraine and their current ongoing conflict. The target market for this document is people who are interested in contemporary politics and geopolitics
The idea behind the document is that it folds out into a simplified shape of the border, with the content flowing from top to bottom almost like a scroll. One side of the document focuses on Ukraine while the other side on Russia and aims to read from the perspective of each country. This method isn’t just limited to the Ukraine/Russia border and could be used further and expanded on with different borders and it’s respective countries.
The current and ongoing conflict in Ukraine is a complex issue and there is debate around what causes actually started the war. This document looks at two essays, one by John J. Mearsheimer which focuses on the USA and the West’s responsibility for the war. He claims that the conflict was ignited by a combination of NATO expansion, Russian insecurity, and Western disregard for Russian interests. The second essay which is featured on the Ukrainian side is an essay by Timothy Snyder which argues that Russia’s actions in Ukraine represent a form of modern colonialism driven by Putin’s desire to expand Russian power and control.
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Posted Feb 8, 2025
My ISTD submission about the Russia/Ukraine border.
