The art of partial commitment: The politics of military assistance to Ukraine.

Date

2023-01-01

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Taylor & Francis

Abstract

What sort of military assistance has Ukraine received to date from North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) members since 2014? What has driven NATO allies’ decisions to provide military assistance to Ukraine? This essay addresses both questions. It offers a preliminary examination of how strategic, economic, and risk considerations might have shaped NATO members’ decisions regarding arms transfers to Ukraine, a country that remains outside of the Alliance but nevertheless is an Enhanced Opportunities Partner. Using both a qualitative analysis of post-2014 assistance and a purpose-built dataset combining military aid to Ukraine since late January 2022, we find that prior strategic preparation in the form of investments in military readiness and infrastructure is strongly associated with military aid to Ukraine. Economic considerations and prominent risk factors such as fossil fuel dependency thus far have not.

Description

Keywords

Ukraine, NATO, arms transfers, russia, political economy

Citation

Lanoszka, A., & Becker, J. (2023). The art of partial commitment: The politics of military assistance to Ukraine. Post-Soviet Affairs, 39(3), 173–194. https://doi.org/10.1080/1060586X.2022.2162758