Diplomacy & Crisis News

Putin’s mission in Ukraine -- as with the Olympics and the last-minute diplomatic intervention in Syria last year -- is to remind the world that Russia is back and that it is a greater power than ever. It is entitled to international respect, he believes, and to dominate its neighbors economically and, evidently, militarily.

No sooner had embattled Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych fled office than his old nemesis, former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, was back on the scene. Her return, which could upset the fragile balance among the three opposition leaders that helped boot Yanukovych, has already sparked concerns that this week marked the end of one president's rule but not the start of something new.