Every element of our common human future is present in the Russo-Ukrainian War. It recalls all of the half-forgotten precedents and warnings from the past, from the human capacity for genocide and atrocity to the need for an international legal structure. Yet, in a profound sense, it is a war for and about the future. Ukraine and Russia represent radically different models of society and government, and so it matters for the future of democracy which one prevails.
Yet beneath the surface this war is also about sustainable energy, the distribution of natural resources, and the possibility of truth in an age of digital propaganda. The war also raises, unmistakably, the need for ethical judgement at a time when it might appear that the major questions are all technical. For these reasons, we invite you to a wide-ranging discussion between two thinkers who bring together an expertise in the region with a concern for the broadest possible questions of international order and justice.
Ivan Krastev, Director of the Centre for Liberal Strategies in Sofia and Permanent Fellow at the Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna.
Timothy Snyder is the Levin Professor of History and Global Affairs at Yale University and Permanent Fellow at the Institute for Human Sciences.
Misha Glenny, Rector of the Institute for Human Sciences, moderated the discussion.
A recording of the event is available below.
