After a Year of the War in Ukraine: Is Europe Ready for A Changing World Order?
Date
Sections
Brussels, Belgium
A year after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the world faces a dangerous new geopolitical reality. The war has unleashed a chain of events leading to the militarisation of global affairs. With all of the major powers jockeying for position, it is clear that the war between Russia and Ukraine has catalysed the growth of regional and national rivalries worldwide.
Europe now has to consider how to defend Ukraine’s national sovereignty and restore peace and how to deal with the rapid escalation of geopolitical tensions.
The Return of Geopolitics?
To address these pressing issues, the think tank MCC Brussels is hosting a unique pan-European conference entitled ‘The Return of Geopolitics?’.
Professor Frank Furedi, conference convener and Executive Director of MCC Brussels, stated that European policymakers often suffer from ‘geopolitical illiteracy’. He observed, ' Just as they were caught unaware by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, so now they remain disoriented by the geopolitical challenges of our time’. According to Professor Furedi, ‘uncertainty about the state of public opinion’ has led policymakers and much of the media to seek to avoid an open debate on the broader issues at stake.
‘Our conference will provide a platform for experts and academics representing a diverse range of opinions on the geopolitical challenges facing Europe’, he added. ‘Creating this open discussion makes our conference unique in the discourse on offer in Brussels today.’
Conference themes will include:
· Is Europe prepared for a new era of geopolitical rivalry?
· Is the West as united as it seems?
· What might a lasting solution to the war in Ukraine look like?
· Are we seeing the dawn of a ‘geopolitical Europe’?
· What is the role of national interests and the legacy of history in the current era?
. How do we make sense of the Russia Question?
Join some of Europe’s top thinkers in international relations, strategy, military thought and world history for a unique opportunity to probe the contours of our new era.
SPEAKERS INCLUDE
S. John Tsagronis, Professor of National Security Affairs, The Institute of World Politics; Svitlana Morenets, author, Ukraine in Focus for the Spectator; Philip Cunliffe, Associate Professor in International Relations, UCL & co-host, Bungacast; Ralph Schöllhammer, Senior Lecturer, Webster Vienna Private University; Maria Engström, Professor of Russian, Uppsala University, Sweden; Robert Castel, Israeli author and geopolitics specialist; Caroline Galactéros, President, Geopragma; Petr Drulák, Professor at the Department of Politics and International Relations at the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen; Monika Gabriela Bartoszewicz, Polish Academic; and Frank Furedi, Executive Director, MCC Brussels.
Statement Ends –
Conference speakers are available for interviews before and during the conference. Please get in touch with John O'Brien, Head of Communications, MCC Brussels
About MCC Brussels
At a time of unprecedented political polarisation, MCC Brussels will serve as a forum for European debate and is committed to providing a home for genuine policy deliberation and in-depth exploration of the issues of our time. It will allow intellectuals and experts to debate and assess European policymaking's conceptual and normative status. Drawing on MCC’s outstanding pool of expertise, it will attempt to influence European policymakers with its distinct approach toward our time's political, socio-economic, and cultural issues.
The Centre will offer a challenging and stimulating environment for visiting young students to acquaint themselves with the policy and decision-making process in Brussels. It will provide short educational courses and seminars on matters about European thought and EU policymaking.
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