There are major tensions between Russia and Ukraine heading quickly towards a boiling point right now. And with Russian troops active near Ukraine, Ukrainians are fearing for the worst but hoping the military threat won't turn into armed conflict. So how is this going to end? To understand what's happening and what could happen next, we need to dive into the roots of the conflict and try to understand Vladimir Putin's goals and objectives. It's a story that goes back decades. We asked two experts from Saint Joseph's University to help us make this make sense: Dr. Lisa Baglione is a Professor of Political Science and member of the International Relations Program, and Dr. Melissa Chakars is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of History.

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