Past Event! Note: this event has already taken place.
Europe-Russia-USA and the Conflict in Ukraine
October 19, 2015 at 12:30 PM to 2:00 PM
| Location: | Senate Room (Room 608) Robertson Hall |
| Cost: | Free |
| Audience: | Anyone |
| Key Contact: | Cathleen Schmidt |
| Contact Email: | cathleen.schmidt@carleton.ca |
| Contact Phone: | 613-520-2600, ext. 1087 |
Co-sponsored by the Centre for European Studies (EUCE) and the Embassy of Austria
“Europe-Russia-USA and the Conflict in Ukraine”
with Wendelin Ettmayer
Lecture Abstract:
After the end of the Cold War, a policy of ‘roll back’ replaced the basic Western Cold War doctrine of ‘Containment of Communism,’ where borders were not moved and mutual interests were respected. Since this time, the United States’ sphere of influence in Europe has increased, and the GDP and defense spending of the US and the EU are significantly higher than that of Russia. Whil
e the West has increased in power and influence, Russia has lost everything that the country had gained during the last 300 years. The 2014 crisis in Ukraine illustrates a shift in the power dynamic between Russia and the West. The world watched Putin’s reaction to the Kiev regime change, as he asserted Russia’s national interest with an established internal order differing from Western models concerning the role of the state and the influence of the church.
Yet, can Russia get away with this in the time of the American Empire? Is it allowed for other countries to have their own national interests in their neighbourhood, when the US interferes all over the world? And finally, what has prompted EU leaders to negotiate with Putin now, and not before the Ukraine crisis?
About the Lecturer:
Wendelin Ettmayer is the former Austrian Ambassador to Finland (1994-2000) and Canada (2000-2003). He was a Member of the Austrian National Parliament for 16 years. He is also the former Head of the Department for Bilateral and Multilateral Economic Relations in the Austrian Foreign Ministry. Prior to his retirement, Ambassador Ettmayer was the Austrian Ambassador to the Council of Europe. He has a doctorate in law from the University of Vienna, and completed postgraduate studies in political science at the Institute for Political Science at the University of Paris. Wendelin Ettmayer is the author of several books.
This event is supported, in part, by a grant from the European Union, and is an activity of the Jean Monnet Chair in the EU’s Eastern Neighbourhood Relations at Carleton University.
A light lunch will be provided.
