Wittenberg’s Russian and Central Eurasian Program is sponsoring a special event focused on the ongoing crisis between Russia and Ukraine. Professors James Allan, Yu Bin, Molly Wood, and Lila Zaharkov will share their expertise in an open discussion at 4 p.m. Wednesday, March 30, in Bayley Auditorium of the Barbara Deer Kuss Science Center. Opportunities to either submit written questions or to ask the faculty panel directly will be provided.
James Allan, chair and professor of political science, is an expert in international relations and will provide perspective on the war’s economic impacts, not only for Europe, but also globally in terms of energy and especially food insecurity. He will also discuss the seismic shift in German defense and foreign policy announced by Chancellor Scholz last month in response to Russia’s actions.
Yu Bin, professor emeritus of political science, will backtrack the sources and course of the current Ukraine war, particularly the consistent warnings by some prominent thinkers/practitioners of political realism in the United States, whose marginalization in the mainstream policy deliberation directly led to the current conflict.
Molly Wood, professor of history, will examine the NATO map to briefly explain 1949 origins, and then steady expansion, especially highlighting post-1990 new membership. Additionally, she will briefly define Article 5 and outline a couple of NATO/US responses so far. Wood currently teaches courses in U.S. history, U.S. foreign relations and international studies, and Latin American history.
Lila Zaharkov, associate professor of world languages, will provide perspective on Russia’s historical culture and extensive history surrounding strong, centralized leadership.
Sheryl Cunningham, associate professor of communication and digital media, will serve as the event’s moderator. Cunningham teaches courses in rhetoric, media studies, and communication theory. In her research, she studies political and environmental communication.
In addition to the in-person event, the discussion will also was livestreamed on Wittenberg University’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/wittenberguniversity
