This book examines the crisis in Ukraine, tracing its development and analysing the factors which lie behind it. It discusses above all how the two sides have engaged in political posturing, accusations, escalating sanctions and further escalating threats, arguing that the ease with which both sides have reverted to a Cold War mentality demonstrates that the Cold War belief systems never really disappeared, and that the hopes raised in the aftermath of the collapse of the Soviet Union for a new era in East-West relations were misplaced. The book pays special attention to the often ignored origins of the crisis within Ukraine itself, and the permanent damage caused by the fact that Ukrainians are killing Ukrainians in the eastern parts of the country. It also assesses why Cold War belief systems have re-emerged so easily, and concludes by considering the likely long-term ramifications of the crisis, arguing that the deep-rooted lack of trust makes the possibility of compromise even harder than in the original Cold War.

本书研究了乌克兰危机，追踪其发展并分析其背后的因素。本书首先讨论了双方如何摆出政治姿态、进行指责、不断升级的制裁和进一步升级的威胁，认为双方轻易地恢复到冷战思维，表明冷战时期的信仰体系从未真正消失，而在苏联解体后对东西方关系新时代的希望是错误的。该书特别关注了乌克兰内部危机经常被忽视的根源，以及乌克兰人在该国东部地区杀害乌克兰人这一事实所造成的永久性损害。本书还评估了为什么冷战时期的信仰体系会如此轻易地重新出现，并在最后考虑了危机可能产生的长期影响，认为根深蒂固的信任缺失使得妥协的可能性比最初的冷战时期更加困难。