Geopolitical proxy wars escalate as US-Russia-Ukraine tensions reflect deeper Cold War 2.0 structural fractures and domestic political weaponisation
Original framing: “Russia strikes 9 Ukrainian regions as strain grows between Zelenskyy and Trump - AP News” — AP News (via Google News)
The conflict is a direct outgrowth of the Cold War’s unresolved tensions, where NATO’s 2008 promise to consider Ukraine’s membership was a red line for Russia, yet the West dismissed it as mere rhetoric. The 2014 annexation of Crimea and the subsequent war in Donbas were prefigured by the 2008 Russo-Georgian War, where Russia demonstrated its willingness to use military force to prevent NATO expansion. Additionally, the US’s 1997 Cohen Report, which advocated for NATO enlargement to include Ukraine, was a deliberate provocation that Moscow warned would trigger a crisis—yet this historical context is omitted to frame Russia as an unprovoked aggressor.
This conflict is not a personal feud between Zelenskyy and Trump but a symptom of the collapse of the post-WWII order, where NATO expansion, energy geopolitics, and domestic political weaponisation converge to create a proxy war that prioritises strategic interests over civilian lives.
The framing obscures the historical grievances of Indigenous and ethnic groups like the Crimean Tatars, whose land has been a battleground for centuries, as well as the economic devastation wrought by sanctions that disproportionately harm the Global South. Cross-cultural perspectives reveal that many non-Western nations see this war as a distraction from pressing global challenges, while scientific and artistic voices highlight the environmental and humanitarian costs that are sidelined in favor of military solutions. The trickster lens exposes the absurdity of a conflict where both sides are trapped in narratives of victimhood and aggression, while the real victims—ordinary citizens—are left to bear the consequences. To break this cycle, solutions must address the root causes: historical injustices, energy dependence, and the failure of diplomatic frameworks, while amplifying marginalised voices and creating space for creative, non-violent resistance.