01111nas a2200181   4500000000100000000000100001008004100002653001500043653002100058653002200079653001900101653002100120100001800141245008200159300001000241490000700251520067100258       2016                            d10ahybrid war10aMultipolar world10apolycentric world10aRussian policy10aUkrainian crisis1 aOleksii Izhak00aThe Threats and Challenges of a Multipolar World: A Ukraine Crisis Case Study  a32-440 v153 a<p>As the post-cold-war unipolar system transforms into a polycentric one, it becomes more complex and less predictable. The new system may be crushed with less effort than needed to keep it on track. The polycentric international system, as it emerges, suffers from hybrid threats. They are difficult to identify and predict. Russia pioneered exploiting the new vulnerabilities to gain unilateral advantages. Russia's hybrid war against Ukraine was just a starting episode of her wider attempt to crush the whole world order. Responsible world powers have either to fix the vulnerabilities of the polycentric world, or to block malicious attempts to exploit it.</p>