The Tragedy of Ukraine

Now in Paperback

The conflict in Ukraine has deep domestic roots. A third of the population, primarily in the East and South, regards its own Russian cultural identity as entirely compatible with a Ukrainian civic identity. The state’s reluctance to recognize this ethnos as a legitimate part of the modern Ukrainian nation, has created a tragic cycle that entangles Ukrainian politics.

The Tragedy of Ukraine argues that in order to untangle the conflict within the Ukraine, it must be addressed on an emotional, as well as institutional level. It draws on Richard Ned Lebow’s ‘tragic vision of politics’ and on classical Greek tragedy to assist in understanding the persistence of this conflict. Classical Greek tragedy once served as a mechanism in Athenian society to heal deep social trauma and create more just institutions. The Tragedy of Ukraine reflects on the ways in which ancient Greek tragedy can help us rethink civic conflict and polarization, as well as model ways of healing deep social divisions.

• Highly innovative analysis of the Ukrainian conflict
• Challenges the conventional view that it is primarily an interstate conflict
• Draws on classical Greek tragedy to assist in understanding the persistence, and resolution, of this conflict

Nicolai N. Petro is a Professor of Political Science at the University of Rhode Island, specializing in Russia and Ukraine. His professional focus is on the role that religion, history, and cultural symbols can play in democratic development.

"Brilliant, insightful, thoroughly researched study. Essential reading for those who wish to understand the causes of the war in Ukraine and its implications for the rest of the world." Jack F. Matlock, Jr., U.S. Ambassador to USSR, 1987–1991, author of Autopsy on an Empire, and Superpower Illusions

"The book is unique in amplifying the voices of the ‘other Ukraine’ that fit neither Putin’s ‘single people’ nor the dominant Ukrainian nation-building projects." Volodymyr Ishchenko, Freie Universität Berlin

"This convincing and original study provides a unique insight into one of the great tragedies of our time and is set to become a classic." Richard Sakwa, University of Kent, author of Frontline Ukraine

"The Tragedy of Ukraine is an important and intriguing guide to Ukraine’s historical and cultural diversity, and a riveting portrait of the current in the latest series of conflicts that have besieged this area of the world for centuries." Katrina vanden Heuvel, Publisher, The Nation

"This wise and important book applies the lessons of Greek tragedy to the conflict in Ukraine. Petro writes gracefully and knowingly, carefully tracing the path into doom and the potential ways out." David C. Hendrickson, president of the John Quincy Adams Society and professor emeritus at Colorado College

"Nicolai Petro’s analysis of the Ukrainian conflict through the lens of ancient Greek tragedy is brilliantly argued, meticulously illustrated and potentially therapeutic, if we heed his account – based on extended periods of residence in Ukraine – of a deeply and culturally riven state, in which conflict is inevitable if absolute rule from the center is perpetuated." David C. Speedie, Senior Fellow and founding director of the program on U.S. Global Engagement at the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs

"The solution offered by Petro, to apply to the Ukraine crisis the lessons handed down to us by the ancient Greek tragedians, is timely, original, and most of all, wise." James Carden, Responsible Statecraft

"Written mostly before Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the book [...] is an illuminating read for anyone wishing to know how we arrived at the existential crossroads that threatens WWIII. This is the book for those hungry for an historical understanding of Ukraine’s seething internal conflict — western hypernationalism versus eastern cultural diversity — that made Ukraine vulnerable to a geopolitical power struggle, a pawn in the cruel hands of both Russia and the United States." Marcy Winograd in: Counterpunch, 06.01.2023, https://www.counterpunch.org/2023/01/06/the-tragedy-of-ukraine/