The article focuses on the on-going conflict in the East of Ukraine. Two years after its beginning, it has become a challenge for both national and regional security. By now, it carries the features of the so-called “frozen” conflicts, typical for post-Soviet political space. Managing these conflicts is specifically difficult due to strong impact of the Russian policy, to which these conflicts are instruments for strengthening control over immediate neighbourhood. On the other hand, the conflict resembles other militarized internal disputes (MIDs) of the post-bipolar world. They encompass numerous issues, including identities, resources, symbols, and narratives. They also often result from structural factors, triggered by weakness of states. Most of these conflicts are hard to manage and/or resolve. So far, there is no defined strategy for Ukraine to apply for settling the conflict. We argue that theoretical guidelines for internal conflict management combined with the critical analysis of similar conflicts’ trajectories could help elaborate a more precise approach.
GUIDELINES FOR MANAGING THE CONFLICT IN DONBAS
