By Yoichi Shimatsu The third part of this Ukraine series examines the underlying issues, political, military and ethnic, involved in the long-simmering clash with Russia, an avoidable crisis that corrupt Ukrainian politicians rejected due to the siren song of serving as a NATO front-line state. The limited Russian operations in the easternmost Donetsk region and annexation of Crimea, as territorial concessions had the effect of lulling the Ukrainian population toward the larger unresolved issue of NATO membership. Before delving into the geopolitical issues, some attention needs to be focused on…
