Understanding the Russian Invasion of Ukraine: Four Analytical Lenses

Abstract

For many in the European Union, war has unexpectedly come very close and is creating new links in thought: the question of how we want to live and thus which domestic social order is desirable is now much closer connected to the way we perceive international order – and its violently erupting challenges. Social cohesion, on the one hand, and world order, on the other, are more clearly interrelated then we thought. Just a few weeks ago elections were still impacted almost exclusively by domestic issues rather than foreign policy questions. Accordingly, the European public is currently exercising unfamiliar perspectives and hitherto neglected attentions. So, the question is: What do social sciences in general and the field of international relations in particular have to offer to make sense of this situation?