Hilary Appel will give a lecture on, “Competing Narratives of the Russia-Ukraine War: Why the West Hasn’t Convinced the Rest” on Thursday, October 10, 2024 at 4:00 pm in 206 Ingraham Hall, 1155 Observatory Drive.
About the Lecture: Since the start of the war, Western characterizations of Russia’s foreign policy as revanchist and imperialist have been overshadowed by the more successful framing by Russia that its actions were driven by the need to push back on American unipolarity and Western imperialist tendencies. This talk will examine how and why the Kremlin’s narrative on the war has been embraced by leaders in core BRICS countries, shaping their position vis-à-vis Russia and the war. Drawing on theories of strategic narratives, this presentation will highlight how leaders in China, India, Brazil and South Africa understand the war and create conditions in which Russia can prosecute its war against a neighbor with their support or acquiescence. The presentation will concludes with a brief discussion of why theories of strategic narratives have been underappreciated relative to more standard power-based and materialist explanations of the war’s outbreak, scope, and trajectory by scholars of international relations. Link to related article (available through UW Libraries to students, faculty, and staff).
About the Speaker: Hilary Appel is the Podlich Family Professor of Government at Claremont McKenna College. Her research examines the politics behind post-Communist economic reforms, the role of EU and NATO in Eastern Europe, and the domestic politics in Russia and Eastern Europe. In addition to publishing multiple books, including From Triumph to Crisis: Neoliberal Economic Reform in Postcommunist Countries (Cambridge 2018), co-authored with Mitchell Orenstein, she has authored numerous articles in leading scholarly journals like World Politics, Comparative Politics, Comparative Political Studies, Review of International Political Economy, East European Politics, Post-Soviet Affairs, East European Politics and Societies, and others.
This event is part of the CREECA lecture series, which is held on Thursdays at 4:00 pm. Coffee, tea, and cookies served starting at 3:45.