Ukraine & War in Eastern Europe
Protestors in the Ukrainian city of Lviv during the Maidan protests of 2014. (Credit: via )
The Ukraine-Russia War broke out in February 2022, when Russia launched air and land attacks against the sovereign nation of Ukraine. CU Boulder experts are available to discuss various topics related to the war in Ukraine, including the history of conflict, political diplomacy and economic impacts of the war on the United States.
On Ukrainian Conflict, History & Diplomacy
John O’Loughlin, professor of geography, has worked in Ukraine since the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s and conducts surveys of the political beliefs of everyday Ukrainians. He has conducted national and local opinion polls in Ukraine over the past year to measure sentiment about the Russian invasion, war experiences and attitudes towards NATO and the West. He is available to discuss his team’s survey results and the history of conflict in the region. Learn more about his work:
Sarah Wilson Sokhey, associate professor of political science, studies domestic politics and economic policymaking in many former Soviet Union nations. She can discuss the general political situation in Ukraine and how socioeconomic conditions drive political dynamics in the region.
Erin Hutchinson, professor of history, studies the cultural and political history of the Soviet Union, with a particular focus on the topics of nationality and empire. She can discuss Ukrainian and Russian relations through time.
Thomas Zeiler, professor of history and director of the International Affairs Program, can discuss U.S. and economic diplomacy, including how sanctions might affect the United States. He can also discuss the history of diplomacy, the Cold War and American political history.
On Refugees
Laura DeLuca, an anthropologist and assistant teaching professor, teaches a course on anthropology of war and refugees. She can discuss the human dimension of the crisis in Ukraine, including the challenges refugees and internally displaced people in Ukraine face.
On Economic, Financial Impacts
Sanjai Bhagat, professor of finance at the Leeds School of Business, can share insight on the relation of the conflict in Ukraine to energy and environment policies in the U.S. and Europe.
On National Security
Iain Boyd, director of the Center for National Security Initiatives, has extensive experience in military technology and policy. He can speak about the national security implications of the war in Ukraine, including , missiles, hypersonics, nuclear weapons and cyberattacks.
Brian Toon, research scientist at the (LASP), has spent several decades studying the environmental and human impacts of nuclear warfare. He can discuss the increasingly tense situation surrounding nuclelar arsenals in Russia and beyond.