Philipp Blom spoke with Nina Khrushcheva about Russia – a society in meltdown – and its future in the context of both its historical and political path, and of international security.
The war on Ukraine is catastrophic for both parties. Ukraine has to bear widespread destruction of infrastructure and a terrible loss of life. The morale within the society is high, and if the country can prevail on the battlefield, the future appears dynamic.
For Russia the situation is radically different, says political scientist Nina Khrushcheva, the first guest of the Dialogues for Tomorrow. Having divided her time between Moscow and the US during the past year, she has observed the changes in Russian society from within.
How is Russian society developing in the shadow of war and political oppression?
How secure is Putin’s power and are their oppositional protagonists and structures apart from the Kremlin elite and the oligarchs?
Is a change of power in Russia a plausible prospect, and what will Russia look like after the war, and after Putin?
How much has been destroyed already by the loss of countless people who left the country, by the tightening of dictatorship and the breakdown of trade and political relations with Western countries?
What will the future hold for Russia and for European and global power politics and global alliances?
About the guest Nina Khrushcheva:
Nina Khrushcheva is Professor in the Julien J. Studley Graduate Programs of International Affairs at The New School in New York. She is an editor of and a contributor to the Project Syndicate: Association of Newspaper Around the World. Her articles have appeared in Foreign Policy, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times, and other publications. She has commented widely on Russian politics for MSNBC, CNN, BBC, and other international media outlets. Khrushcheva's latest co-authored book is In Putin's Footsteps: Searching for the Soul of an Empire Across Russia's Eleven Time Zones (St. Martin's Press, 2019). She is currently working on a biography of her great-grandfather, Nikita Khrushchev.
About the discussion series Dialogues for Tomorrow:
The debate series Dialogues for Tomorrow critically examines the present from multiple perspectives in order to create a better understanding of tomorrow.
Beginning in Fall 2022, Gerald Bast, rector of the University of Applied Arts Vienna, invited artists and experts to the new Café Exchange. The interdisciplinary conversations covered topics from the field of art, science, culture, technology and politics and give audiences a chance to join the discussion.
As a sequel of the series, the program is now broadened: In spring 2023 together with the Bruno Kreisky Forum and the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM), the University of Applied Arts hosts experts from different disciplines to discuss future challenges. Ranging from climate change to democracies in crisis, current wars and social controversies: this time it is historian, journalist and author Philipp Blom who will be in conversation with renowned, innovative, intelligent and provocative international guests to talk about transformation, reasonable change, necessary steps and new conceptual spaces.
About Philipp Blom:
Philipp Blom was born in Hamburg in 1970. After living and working in Oxford, London, and Paris, he is now based in Vienna. His historical works, essays, and novels have been translated into 16 languages and have received numerous awards, including a scholarship at the Getty Research Institute in Los Angeles and the German Non-Fiction Book Prize. Blom is also a prolific radio journalist and public speaker. Among his most recent German and English publications are: Diebe des Lichts, Karl Blessing 2021; Das große Welttheater, Zsolnay 2019; Eine italienische Reise, Hanser 2018; Was auf dem Spiel steht, Hanser 2017; Die Welt aus den Angeln, Hanser 2017 / Nature’s Mutiny; Bei Sturm am Meer, Zsolnay 2016; Die zerrissenen Jahre. 1918–1938, Hanser 2014; Böse Philosophen. Ein Salon in Paris und das vergessene Erbe der Aufklärung, Hanser 2011 / A Wicked Company; Der taumelnde Kontinent. Europa 1900–1914, Hanser 2009 / The Vertigo Years - Change and Culture in the West, 1900-1914.
A recording of the event is available below.
