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From Genocide to Colonialism:Memory Wars at the United Nations after the 2022 Invasion of Ukraine
Labuda, Patryk I.
Labuda, Patryk I.
Title / Series / Name
Global Studies Quarterly
Publication Volume
5
Publication Issue
4
Pages
Author
Editors
Keywords
global governance
international institutions/regimes
international law
memory politics
norms/institutions/law
Sociology and Political Science
Political Science and International Relations
SDG 16 - Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
international institutions/regimes
international law
memory politics
norms/institutions/law
Sociology and Political Science
Political Science and International Relations
SDG 16 - Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
Files
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Labuda-Patryk3_2025.pdf
Adobe PDF, 727.11 KB
URI
https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14018/28785
Abstract
Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine has revealed contested memories of oppression in different parts of the world. Drawing on debates before several multilateral institutions, this article argues that different interpretations of five key historical events and processes—the Second World War, Cold War, colonialism, imperialism and genocide—have shaped inconsistent normative responses to the Russia–Ukraine war. While most governments embrace Ukraine-centric narratives about the Second World War and reject Russia’s attempts to analogize its invasion to the Soviet Union’s liberation of Europe from Nazi Germany, there is unease among non-Western states about the Russia–Ukraine war turning into another prolonged “Cold War” between rival camps. At the same time, various actors have increasingly used the vocabulary of imperialism, colonialism and genocide to make sense of Russia’s actions, but, some non-Western states are reluctant to facilitate reparations, sanctions and trials against Russia due partly to competing memories of injustice that have not, on their view, been adequately addressed by international institutions. Ultimately, contested global memories have shaped states’ stances on norms of non-intervention, human rights and accountability, but they do not map neatly onto binary “Global South versus North/West” or “West versus Rest” divisions of the world, underscoring the need for further research into the interplay of memory, norms and politics.
Topic
Publisher
Place of Publication
Type
Journal article
Date
2025-10
Language
ISBN
Identifiers
10.1093/isagsq/ksaf108