Ukraine Was the Bait. Russia Took the Hook. The West Is Drowning: A Third-Generation Analysis of the Global Trap

This paper offers a geopolitical analysis of the Ukraine war through the lens of the "Third Generation of International Relations" (3GIR). It argues that Ukraine acted as bait in a global trap, Russia took the hook, and the West is now drowning in strategic overreach. The study explores themes such as symbolic warfare, algorithmic diplomacy, narrative engineering, and institutional fatigue. It aims to reshape how global crises are understood in a digitally-driven world.