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Community Corner

Borderland: Making Sense of Ukraine

A presentation by Dr. Mark Soderstrom, Assistant Professor of History at Aurora University 

In
recent months, events in Ukraine and Russia have captured the world’s
attention. Not since the Cold War ended more than two decades ago have
Americans been as interested in Eastern Europe as they have in 2014. But
how do we make sense of what we are seeing? Is this, as some proclaim,
the start of a “New Cold War”? Is Russian President Vladimir Putin
redrawing Eastern Europe’s borders, so as to reconstitute what was once
the Soviet Union and the Russian Empire that came before it? Is Russia,
as Putin himself asserts, acting to stem “fascism” and protect ethnic
Russians within Ukraine? And why is Putin—despite being scorned
abroad—so popular at home? What about the people of Ukraine? Who are
they? What do they want? What, indeed, is Ukraine—and what does it mean
to be Ukrainian?

Making
sense of such questions requires historical context. In this
presentation, Dr. Mark Soderstrom, a historian of Russia and the Soviet
Union, will provide an overview of the most salient factors—past and
present—that are fueling this pivotal crisis. All are welcome.

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