Introduction: The Russia–Ukraine War as a Formative Event in Global Security Policy?

Abstract The Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022 was perceived as a shock by Western European publics and observers alike. Thus, when German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced an epochal change, a Zeitenwende in German foreign policy, the term became a keyword in the political as well as the academic discussion about the changes that the Russia–Ukraine war brought about. The introduction to this special issue starts by empirically sketching the reactions of international actors to the attack. In addition, the naming of the conflict deserves some attention considering the normative issues of the conflict. A brief state-of-the-art analysis demonstrates how the contributions are located in the academic debate. Theoretically speaking, the full-scale invasion of Ukraine revives a long-standing (ontological) debate about continuity and the possibility of change in international politics and foreign policy. The presentation of the single contributions pays respect to these theoretical perspectives and addresses change through the prism of different countries (Germany, Brazil, Poland, the United States, Brazil), transnational actors, religious actors, private military companies, and international law. Overall, the findings challenge the idea of the Russia–Ukraine war as a formative event in global security policy and contribute to a more nuanced understanding of the war’s implications and consequences.