FINAL ESSAY

CONTEMPORARY WESTERN DIPLOMATIC HISTORY GEAE2316

Written by : 丁海倫 B084020051 (中山資管系)

ANALYZING THE GLOBAL IMPACT OF RUSSIA’S ATTACK ON UKRAINE

According to a news article written by Ellyat in 2022, on February 24th, Russia

launched a military attack on some of the largest cities in Ukraine. Although Russia has been

denying the allegations that this event is an attempt to invade Russia, the facts on the ground

said otherwise. The war between these two neighboring countries is probably one of the

biggest yet deadliest clashes in post-modern history. An analysis written by Mankoff in 2022

also mentioned that the war between Russia and Ukraine has been the largest and most

serious threat to peace and security among European countries.

Unfortunately, the impact of this war is way bigger than that. This particular event

that happened very recently has created chaos all over the world. The ongoing war has

severely impacted the global economy. In an article written by Kottasová in 2022, it is

mentioned that both countries have their own role in contributing to this global chaos. For

Ukraine, as a result of Russia’s attack, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United

Nations (FAO) estimated that approximately 20 to 30 percent of their land will remain

unplanted throughout the year. Ukraine and Russia are equally crucial for the global food

supply, and an article by Kottasová in 2022 confirmed that approximately 30% of wheat and

60% of sunflower oil around the world are produced by Ukraine and Russia. This war has put

one of the most important players in the global food supply on a halt, putting millions of

people in food insecurity.

The terror doesn’t stop there. The European Union and the United Nations have

imposed a sanction on Russia and it’s definitely worsened the situation. McHugh wrote an
article in 2022 that elaborated the global impact of these sanctions on Russia. As the largest

exporter of oil and gas, blocking Russia’s oil and gas will definitely hurt a lot of countries. As

a result of these sanctions, McHugh explained that there’s a significant increase in oil prices.

The Western economy also suffered from the banning of Russia’s oil. In addition to that, it is

also explained that these sanctions are not very effective for the reason that it didn't really

hurt Russia’s economy.

One thing that is very scary about this war is the impacts that it has on the most

vulnerable countries. Ukraine’s grain that feeds 400 million people worldwide, and a sudden

halt of distribution, have caused a huge problem for countries that heavily rely on them for

food. African countries are some of the countries that rely on Ukraine for food. These

countries are already facing food insecurity due to their long history of conflicts and extreme

climate. Stopping Ukraine’s supply of grain for months has worsened their condition. Let’s

take Somalia for example. Before the war, Ukraine was the backbone of Somalia’s food

supply. It is mentioned in an article written by Fadel in 2022 that almost all of Somalia’s

grain and wheat are produced by Ukraine. They were already in a famine after three

consecutive failed rainy seasons. Millions of children are already malnourished before

Ukraine even stops their supply. Somali parents often have to witness the death of their

children due to severe hunger and dehydration. The impact that this war has on Somalia is

very significant because this war resulted in a spike of food prices and people can’t afford

food. This war has significantly accelerated Somalia’s pace to the worst conditions that we

can imagine. In addition to that, Fadel’s article also reveals that ever since the war, the

international arena is turning their head to Ukraine, leaving Somalia neglected.

In conclusion, it is very clear that the largest war in modern history has a very strong

impact on the global scale, especially on the more vulnerable countries. We have to keep an

eye on these countries because their condition has gotten worse and worse.
 References

Ellyatt, H. (2022, February 24). Russian forces invade Ukraine. CNBC. Retrieved December

23, 2022, from https://www.cnbc.com/2022/02/24/russian-forces-invade-ukraine.html

Fadel, L. (2022, July 13). Russia's invasion of Ukraine has pushed Somalia towards famine.

NPR. Retrieved December 24, 2022, from

https://www.npr.org/2022/07/13/1111244753/russias-invasion-of-ukraine-has-pushed-

somalia-towards-famine

Kottasová, I. (2022, June 10). Why Russia is being accused of using food as a weapon of war.

CNN. Retrieved December 23, 2022, from

https://edition.cnn.com/2022/06/10/europe/food-grain-crisis-ukraine-russia-intl/index.

html

Mankoff, J. (2022, April 22). Russia's War in Ukraine: Identity, History, and Conflict. Center

for Strategic and International Studies |. Retrieved December 23, 2022, from

https://www.csis.org/analysis/russias-war-ukraine-identity-history-and-conflict

McHUGH, D. (2022, December 2). EXPLAINER: What's the effect of Russian oil price cap,

ban? AP News. Retrieved December 24, 2022, from

https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-business-moscow-europe-european-union-8

25506b6a349cce7e5971c0ac550aeaa

Ukraine war: What are the impacts on the world today? (2022, August 23). International

Rescue Committee. Retrieved December 24, 2022, from

https://www.rescue.org/article/ukraine-war-what-are-impacts-world-today

Ukraine wheat exports by country 2021. (2022, August 18). Statista. Retrieved December 24,

2022, from

https://www.statista.com/statistics/877201/ukraine-wheat-export-value-by-country/