The Historical Roots and Geopolitical Consequences of the War in Ukraine | Lucio Caracciolo
The war in Ukraine is often treated by the media and public communications as a singular event, almost a madness. A less superficial analysis explores the centuries-old origins of this conflict between a decaying Russian empire and a nascent Ukrainian nation. This highlights the continuity between the formation of the first Ukrainian geopolitical entities during the First World War and the Russian Revolution and Civil War (1917-1922), of which current events are direct offshoots. With a look at the future.
The topics covered will be:
The birth and causes of the Ukrainian question. That is, the internal fault lines of the Tsarist empire and the different interpretations of the idea of Ukraine.
The 1917-1922 period. That is, the collapse of the Tsarist empire, the German victory on the Eastern Front, the Red victory in the civil war, and the birth of Soviet Ukraine.
The Ukrainian question during and immediately after the Second World War. Why many Ukrainians initially bet on Hitler, why some later changed their minds, and how this affected the postwar period.
From 2014 to today. From the overthrow of Yanukovych to the Russian invasion. Russian objectives and Western reactions.
Perspectives. Why this war will not end even when it is 'over.'
Speaker
Lucio Caracciolo is the editor of the Italian geopolitical magazine Limes. A journalist, he worked for the weekly Nuova Generazione from 1973 to 1975 and for the daily la Repubblica from 1976 to 1983. He was editor-in-chief of MicroMega from 1986 to 1995. He writes for la Repubblica, La Stampa, and the weekly l'Espresso. He has taught courses and seminars on geopolitics at several universities. From 2009 to 2020, he taught Strategic Studies at Luiss University in Rome and from 2017 to 2020, Geopolitics at San Raffaele University in Milan. He co-authored Contemporary History for Le Monnier University, with Adriano Roccucci, and the secondary school history textbook Le carte della storia for A. Mondadori Scuola, also with Adriano Roccucci.