Hubris of Mars: Great Power Miscalculation and the Russo-Ukrainian War

A great power's hubris is an expressive use of violence that seeks to prove the unworthiness of a target and, simultaneously, ignores both the limits imposed by the IR structure and the realities of the operational theater of war. Such behavior often translates into unilateralism, wanton destruction, bombastic proclamations, and status concerns. Ivan Gomza compares the Russian tactics and political aims during the first phase of the Russo-Ukrainian war with historical cases of the Crassus' Parthian campaign, the French war in Indochina, and the U.S. invasion of Iraq. His analysis attributes the Roman, French, US, and Russian underperformance to a combination of greater powers’ hubristic attitude and smaller nations' flexibility. Ivan Gomza is Head of Public Policy and Governance Department at Kyiv School of Economics. He holds his Ph.D. in political science. Dr. Gomza was a fellow of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) in 2013, the Fulbright Faculty Development Program in 2016-2017, and Petrach Ukrainian Studies Fellowship in 2022. His scholarly interests comprise democratization, authoritarian regimes, contentious politics, and good governance. Dr. Gomza had his articles published in international academic journals and sits on Communist and Post-Communist Studies journal editorial board. He also authored two books, his most recent title being Republic of Decadent Days: Ideology of French Integral Nationalism under the Third Republic (2021).