With the Russian invasion now into its second year, this week’s Roger Gale symposium hosts a number of experts on Ukraine, the invasion and the world’s reaction to the war.
What: Roger W. Gale Symposium in Philosophy, Politics and Economics
Who: Keynote speaker Dr. Norman Naimark and expert panellists Barbara J. Falk, Stephen Turner, Seva Gunitsky, Marco Sassòli, Serhy Yekelchyk and Adam Jones
When: Wednesday, March 1, with sessions between noon and 8 pm and Thursday, March 2, with sessions between 9 am and noon
Where: UBC’s Okanagan Campus, University Centre Ballroom, room UNC 200, and Kelowna Innovation Centre, 460 Doyle Ave.
It’s been one year since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an invasion of Ukraine.
And the destruction can be difficult to comprehend.
In that time, it’s estimated 43,000 people have lost their lives, while 15,000 are classified as missing persons and 14 million have been displaced from their homes.
Liberal democracies and international organizations alike have tried to intervene in a concerted way—but have their actions been effective and do their efforts deserve a passing grade?
On Wednesday, March 1, and Thursday, March 2, UBC Okanagan’s Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences presents Lessons from Ukraine: Armed Conflict, Dictatorship, and Responses from Liberal Democracies.
The two-day event will explore the authoritarianism that motivated the invasion and its implications for democracy and the future of the world. A panel of experts, including keynote speaker Dr. Norman Naimark, will take the stage to explore this topic in individual and panel sessions.
Event organizer, Associate Professor of Philosophy Dr. Manuela Ungureanu says the symposium comes at a time when the war in Ukraine continues to lead global geopolitical discussions, with Russia recently announcing they’ve suspended their participation in the New START Nuclear Arms Control Treaty with the United States.
“The war in Ukraine is by now a defining event of our time, so it is crucial we try to come to grips with its utter complexity, and do so at a different pace than those afforded by the 24-hour media channels,” says Dr. Ungureanu. “The symposium provides an exemplary space for the community to examine the long history of conflict in Eastern Europe. Our speakers will also provide some insight into the motivations behind the invasion, recent foreign policy and military interventions and the help being provided to Ukraine or its refugees by main international organizations.
There are virtual and in-person options for this symposium, which is free and open to the public. Pre-registration is required at: epp.ok.ubc.ca/about/roger-w-gale-symposium
The Roger W. Gale Symposium is a series of events, organized by UBCO’s department of Economics, Philosophy and Political Science, that focus on current issues overlapping multiple disciplines. Its goal is to bring together the academic and public worlds for a fulsome dialogue with subject-matter experts.
