Russia then invaded the eastern part of the Ukraine, armed Russian Separatists who wanted to become part of Russia, and began daily combat with the Ukraine army. The fighting continues intermediately, as casualties are nearing 800 fighters killed, plus 298 passengers lost on a commercial airplane that was shot down in the eastern Ukraine by the rebel troops with a Russian missile.
Many people believe this crisis is a beginning of Russian efforts to rebuild the territories that use to be the Soviet Union back into a "Greater Russia." They have already seized a portion of the Republic of Georgia, which also had been a Republic in the Soviet Union. The Ukraine does consist of very valuable farm land, which generates a huge amount of products for export, particularly wheat. Obviously, the Ukrainian government prefers to be part of the democracy of the European Union, as opposed to be back under Russian domination.
Argue for or against the future direction of the Ukraine on an ethical basis. Should Ukraine go back to its historical association with Russia, or into a collection of big money countries in the European Union? Use Smeltzer and Jennings's article as a basis for a solution to avoiding a future conflict such as this. Can you think of a way that an international code of business ethics would have helped avoid this crisis or could keep other ones from occurring in the future? What challenges would there be in implementing ethical codes that may prevent such a situation in the future? Be sure to include specific ideas from the article, along with your own thoughts, analysis, and evaluation of this essay question.