Debate @Academy: Revisionist Russia: Domestic-Foreign Policy Nexus

About

The Russian invasion in Ukraine represents a new stage of Russian aggression against its post-Soviet neighbors. It is the tragic culmination of a series of increasing domestic and interstate tensions in the Eurasian region.

For the Russian leadership, the military has become the key instrument to reshape the geopolitical situation in its neighborhood and to secure its sphere of influence. The Kremlin either intervened with its troops in Ukraine (2014 and 2022) or deployed so-called peacekeepers, such as in the Karabagh region of Azerbaijan, and in Kazakhstan.

This panel discussion will look at the patterns and causes of the changing shapes of Eurasia. It will also examine the driving dynamics behind Russia’s policies, and discuss how post-Cold War Russia-West relations have contributed to it.

The panelists will address the following questions:

• Why Russia has been opting for military solutions?
• What are domestic drivers behind Russia’s increasingly assertive realpolitik in the former Soviet region?
• What is the effect of the Ukrainian war on the other post-Soviet states and Russian domestic policy?
• What are the lessons from the Russian intervention in Ukraine and how can western countries prevent or mitigate such behavior?

Canapés and beverages will be served. All required distancing and hygiene requirements will be met at the venue.