Journalist Sally investigates the dynamics that developed after the fall of the Soviet Union and ultimately resulted in war in 2014 within Ukraine, between Ukraine and Russia, and between Russia . This book traces how the 1991 independence of Ukraine from Russia-then referred to as a "peaceful divorce"-led to what many today refer to as "a new Cold War." sHe contends that the conflict has gotten worse as a result of three underlying factors: the security conundrum, the geopolitical effects of democratization, and the conflicting objectives of a post-Cold War Europe. D'Anieri contends that these were ingrained pre-existing conflicts that could not be resolved, with worrying implications for the outcome of the Ukraine crisis, rather than a peaceful situation that was lost. This book examines the development of the crisis and evaluates its implications for the Crimean Peninsula and for Russia's relations with the West more broadly in order to put the conflict in historical perspective. Sally and Joe Terry, political scientists and journalists who specialize in the international relations of post-Soviet states, explain the main economic, political, and security challenges facing Ukraine as well as the prospects for resolving them.