Understanding the Russia-Ukraine conflict

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February, the world has watched anxiously the escalating conflict and its consequences – from the tragic loss of human life to the destruction of heritage sites and artifacts to rising energy and food costs. How did the conflict get to this point? Are the sanctions against Russia working? What is the role of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the rest of the world?

To help us understand the origins and the impact of the crisis in Ukraine and around the world, Queen’s will host a virtual discussion with research experts in foreign policy and international law who will review the latest developments and answer some of the questions we’ve all been asking.

“Russia's invasion of Ukraine: a panel discussion” is hosted by the Office of Advancement and University Relations and will take place on Wednesday, April 20 at noon (EST). Participating in the discussion will be Post-Doctoral Fellow Thomas Hughes (Centre for International and Defence Policy) and Professors Zsuzsa Csergő (Political Studies) and Nicolas Lamp (Law). The event will be facilitated by Buzzfeed writer and CBC podcaster Elamin Abdelmahmoud, Artsci'11, and Steffonn Chan, Sc’07, Queen's Alumni Germany Branch representative.

The group will walk us through the complicated history of the relationship between Russia and Ukraine, the potential motivations for Russian President Vladimir Putin and what makes this war different than what we have seen in the past. The audience is welcome to submit questions live or in advance via email.

The event will be hosted via Zoom Webinar and is open to the Queen’s community and the public. Registration is free – access the link to register.

Meet the panelists:

Thomas Hughes

Thomas Hughes is a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Centre for International and Defence Policy. His primary areas of research are on confidence-building, arms control, deterrence, and strategic culture. Dr. Hughes’ dissertation, The Art of War Games: The Political Effects of Military Exercises in Europe, 1975-2018 is the Queen’s University nomination for the 2022 Canadian Association for Graduate Studies ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Awards. He also co-edited the 2018 volume North American Strategic Defense in the 21st Century and has published further research on military exercises and NATO. Dr. Hughes earned his MA from the Josef Korbel School of International Studies, Denver, and has also worked for the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute.

Zsuzsa Csergő

Zsuzsa Csergő is a Professor in the Department of Political Studies and specializes in the study of nationalism in contemporary European politics, with expertise on post-communist Central and Eastern Europe. Before joining Queen’s faculty, Dr. Csergő was Assistant Professor of Political Science and Coordinator of the Women’s Leadership Program in U.S. and International Politics at George Washington University, where she also received her PhD. From 2013-2019, she was President of the Association for the Study of Nationalities (ASN), the leading international scholarly association in the field of nationalism and ethnicity studies. Currently, she is Director of the association’s online initiative “Virtual ASN.”

Nicolas Lamp

Nicolas Lamp is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Law and is cross appointed to the School of Policy Studies. Dr. Lamp received his PhD in Law from the London School of Economics and Political Science and, prior to joining Queen’s, he worked as a Dispute Settlement Lawyer at the Appellate Body Secretariat of the World Trade Organization. His current research focuses on competing narratives about the winners and losers in economic globalization. His co-authored book (with Anthea Roberts), Six Faces of Globalization: Who Wins, Who Loses, and Why It Matters, was published by Harvard University Press in September 2021.

Meet the moderator:

Elamin Abdelmahmoud

Elamin Abdelmahmoud, Artsci'11, is the co-host of CBC Politics' weekly podcast Party Lines and host of CBC Podcast Pop Chat. He is a culture writer for BuzzFeed News, and edits Incoming, the daily morning newsletter. Elamin’s work has appeared in the Globe and Mail, Maclean's, and Rolling Stone. His memoir, Son of Elsewhere, was published in spring 2022 from McClelland & Stewart. 

For more information on the discussion, please visit the website. 

Note: This article originally appeared in the Queen's Gazette.