In early March, shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine, Kent State University’s College of Arts & Sciences hosted a packed panel discussion about the invasion both in person and virtually. Nearly 500 people tuned in to learn about the history, politics and global implications of the invasion. The discussion explored the historical roots of this invasion, how those roots have been distorted by Russian President Vladmir Putin and major Russian media outlets, the regional and international political factors involved and the invasion’s implications for human rights, human security and the global order.
Neil Cooper, Ph.D., director of the School of Peace & Conflict Studies, served as moderator and introduced the topic by posing several key questions which helped to frame the discussion. Panel discussants included: Associate Professors Andrew Barnes, Ph.D., and Molly Merryman, Ph.D., from the School of Multidisciplinary Social Sciences and Humanities; Eli Kaul, Ph.D. and Associate Professor Gabriella Paar-Jakli, Ph.D., from the Department of Political Science; and Associate Professor Richard Steigmann-Gall, Ph.D. from the Department of History.
With such a high interest in the topic from the Kent State community, three follow-up virtual discussions were planned in the following weeks. On March 9, the follow-up virtual Zoom discussion, moderated by Merryman, featured the same panelists focused on responses to the many questions and concerns related to arms control that were asked at the previous event.
On March 16, the virtual Zoom discussion was on "The Human Cost of War" in collaboration with and featuring panel members from the University of Akron, including co-organizer Robert Peralta, Ph.D. from the Center for Conflict Management and Polina Vlasenko, Ph.D. from the Department of Anthropology. Co-organizer Neil Cooper again served as moderator and panelists from Kent State included Professor James Tyner, Ph.D. from the Department of Geography and Associate Professor Karin Coifman, Ph.D. from the Department of Psychological Sciences.
On April 12, the conversation was around the economic costs of war and featured Felix Kumah-Abiwu, Ph.D., from the Department of Africana Studies, Sandra Morgan, M.B.A., from the College of Arts and Sciences, Andrew Barnes, Ph.D., from the School of Multidisciplinary Social Sciences and Humanities and Kathryn Wilson, Ph.D., from the Department of Economics.
Russia's Invasion of Ukraine: History, Politics, and Global Security (Part 1)
Russia's Invasion of Ukraine: History, Politics, and Global Security (Part 2)
Russia's Invasion of Ukraine: The Human Cost of War