"Yes Ukraine, but what about..."

For the IRPS current affairs panel series, following last month’s panel (“Perspectives on Ukraine, Russia, and the Future of the International Community”), we would like to invite you to a follow-up discussion entitled, “Yes Ukraine, but what about…”  for this discussion on perspectives, politics, and possibilities. 

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has sparked not only widespread condemnation but has also prompted some uncomfortable reflections and reckoning. The events in Ukraine are a truly heartbreaking development deserving of attention and action, but might not the same be true of Tigray, Yemen, Afghanistan, Standing Rock Sioux, Mali? This point is not to argue over which situation is worse, nor to debate the causes of uneven media coverage, and certainly not to deflect blame. Rather, how can engaged scholars navigate this messy and complex world of conflict, international law, information flows, attention & appeals, ethics, and politics? Are we forced to choose between solidarity and whataboutism, or is another future possible? 

Panellists include Professors Keith Krause (IRPS), Julie Billaud (ANSO), Aidan Russell (HIST), Cyrus Schayegh (HIST), and Claudia Seymour (CCDP).