Historian of 20th C international relations, USSR, communism in global/transnational frameworks; professor at Western University and King's University College. www.oleksadrachewych.com
If only I can find the time - some (what I feel are) important pieces I'm working on to come out this year. Allow me to just find the time to finish them.
If only I can find the time - some exciting and (what I feel are) important pieces I'm working on to come out this year. Allow me to just find the time to finish them.
Rereading it today as I work to complete an article, but Brigid O'Keeffe's The Multiethnic Soviet Union and its Demise is truly a great book and overview of the subject.
Alright...a day before first class, I have the reading list (mostly) figured out for my 4th year Russia and the West seminar. Now to figure out the rest of my other 4th year seminar: Russia, The Soviet Union, and the Global South.
That's why John Paul II supported communist rule in Poland....oh wait. And don't mention the Uniate Church in Ukraine...
ICYMI:
My latest in the Moscow Times: Calling for an End to War Is Not the Same as Calling for Peace www.themoscowtimes.com/2024/01/05/c...
Opinion | As 2023 drew to a close, a fresh round of columns calling for a negotiated settlement to the war in Ukraine appeared in Western news outlets.
www.themoscowtimes.comMy latest in the Moscow Times: Calling for an End to War Is Not the Same as Calling for Peace www.themoscowtimes.com/2024/01/05/c...
Opinion | As 2023 drew to a close, a fresh round of columns calling for a negotiated settlement to the war in Ukraine appeared in Western news outlets.
www.themoscowtimes.comSo much good work coming out explaining this war and also on Ukraine. Your book with Henry Hale on Zelenskyy is fantastic.
A sampling of my favorite books of 2023. I'll add I look forward to Popova and Shevel's new book Russia and Ukraine, and Mark Edele's Russia's War in Ukraine, which both should arrive in the new year.
In 2024, I will have at least two articles, and I hope, my book out. Multiple book reviews will follow. I had the pleasure of participating in CBC Ideas in Stratford in July 2023. That comes out on radio in January. And who knows what else will follow...tenure-track maybe?
2023 is nearly over. It was a rewarding year professionally - I earned a second teaching award. I finished a book manuscript. I've read great research. Finished two articles. Had some opportunities to share my research in public forums. Taught new classes. What about 2024?
Working on this piece as I post this.
Perhaps I need to offer to write a renewed piece somewhere discussing why, to start 2024, peace remains elusive despite what noise and chatter has been reported.
Russia continues to terrorize Ukrainians. Russian strikes damaged a maternity hospital, schools, and apartments. It is widely believed Russian attacks will increase in scale over the winter. www.cbc.ca/news/world/r...
News continues to come out about the impact of the Kakhovka Dam explosion. Russia intentionally undercounted the human loss of life and as is usual in occupied territories, appeared to cover as much up as they could: apnews.com/article/russ...
AP investigation finds that Russian occupation authorities vastly and deliberately undercounted the dead in one of the most devastating chapters of the war in Ukraine.
apnews.comPerhaps I need to offer to write a renewed piece somewhere discussing why, to start 2024, peace remains elusive despite what noise and chatter has been reported.
Second is my twitter thread turned blog post on what any piece discussing peace in the Russo-Ukrainian War needs to deal with. I still have not seen many writing, calling for peace, who understand what really is at play: oleksadrachewych.com/2023/08/02/p... (2/3)
So you want to talk about peace in Ukraine. Here’s a quick primer regarding the issues at play if you want your ideas to be taken seriously. First, full disclosure, I have been clear about my positi...
oleksadrachewych.comRegarding the renewed calls for peace, I'll pass along two things I wrote this year. First is my article in the Conversation on why peace is elusive, written a year after the escalation began. I feel most of the points still hold: theconversation.com/calls-for-pe... (1/3)
Calls for peace that suggest Ukraine should give up territory simply to end the war will condemn some Ukrainians to unspeakable horrors and provide a precarious foundation for lasting peace.
theconversation.comIn non-newsworthy news, I've just submitted my second completed review in as many days; reviewed copy-edits for a review article, and have started to finally outline and get things together for an article I need to finish as soon as I can. I know I should take a break (holidays and all), but well...
And to just show that they aren't even consistent in their marshalling of this historical memory: The Russian MFA did not exclude Berest in their tweet on May 5, 2022:
On top of the significant destruction, they also refer to the official Soviet story of the raising the flag on the Reichstag through naming the two officers. Naturally, they ignore Oleksiy Berest, the Ukrainian who was also involved, and has been recognized by the Ukrainian government.
At this time of year, if you're looking to donate to help Ukrainians, please consider forPEACE. They work directly with Ukrainians and, specific to now, they also focus on providing help for Ukrainians during the winter including food, sources of heat and clothing: forpeace.us
More reports of Russia (again) breaking international law in its war against Ukraine. This time, more reports of the use of chemical weapons: www.newsweek.com/russia-black...
Moscow's forces used a "radical change" in tactics to fight around the Kherson village of Krynky in recent weeks, the Kremlin's military said.
www.newsweek.comUkraine is fighting for its independence against an imperialistic and genocidal foe in Russia. Occupied territory sees Russian forces engaging in terrible activities where Ukrainians suffer. Reports only confirm this regularly.
All I want for Christmas is my peer review to come in so I can incorporate the helpful suggestions, improve my book manuscript and get it closer to publication.
Hi - just a friendly message to ignore the Mearsheimer interview with the Spectator. Same drivel as always. Wrong about basic facts (No, NATO did not force this war; They, in fact, have not even offered Ukraine membership! And no, Russia, in fact, did start this war in 2014 and escalation in 2022).
Give me the strength to complete this piece on the Comintern and anti-imperialism and racial equality in light of the instrumentalization of this history by the Russian government.
You weren't the target of that post. More thinking of certain social media platform owners or those who amplify takes based on whims and disinformation instead of fact and analysis.
Please listen to actual experts on Ukraine, on foreign policy, on peace, on history, on Russia, and on military issues instead of those who don't recognize their own knowledge limitations re: the Russo-Ukrainian War.
Just flagging this post for no reason whatsoever.
I really wish people who call for peace in Ukraine would stop acting like it's something that magically happens. You have Russia committing significant atrocities in occupied territory. That isn't going to be just wished away.
Still waiting. Still antsy about it.
Dear remaining peer reviewer, please hurry. Yet again, more and more connections between Soviets and WW2 and Russia and Ukraine today. Just hope they are positive as my book sheds light on these connections and I hope that the book can be published quickly for the general public to read.
Wait, wait, wait...you're saying I have to now plan for ANOTHER term. I'm just finishing one...oh fine...already working on the readings for new upper year courses in Russia & the West and Russia, the Soviet Union, and the Global South. The challenge is I can only assign so much.
Much like many nations in Africa or Latin America have abstained on issues regarding Russian aggression towards Ukraine in the UN, Ukraine is abstaining on issues in line with its allies. Yes, we'd love if morality dictated all; instead, it shows the need to keep allies on side.
Recent events make clear that if you think Orban is neutral in the Russo-Ukrainian War, you aren't paying attention.
A friendly reminder that Russia remains committed to its maximalist aims. It seeks regime change (or at least a regime in line with its aims for Ukraine) and for its terms to be met. This and Putin's recent candid comments highlight this.
It's even facilitated by the state: "Unlike guardians, adoptive parents receive the same rights as biological parents and can change the child’s name and personal information. It would be extremely difficult for relatives to get deported children back if they’ve been adopted."
Another reminder that Russia is committing genocide as per the Genocide Convention. Taking children from Ukraine to Russia, and raising them Russian to eliminate their "Ukrainianness" is genocide. meduza.io/en/feature/2...
In March, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Children’s Rights Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova, accusing them of complicity in the...
meduza.ioAs a fresh round of calls for a negotiated settlement of the Russo-Ukrainian War gain some traction, allow me to reshare my post that explains why this is much more complicated than some pundits claim: oleksadrachewych.com/2023/08/02/p...
So you want to talk about peace in Ukraine. Here’s a quick primer regarding the issues at play if you want your ideas to be taken seriously. First, full disclosure, I have been clear about my positi...
oleksadrachewych.comBack home from ASEEES23. Unable to see everyone I wanted to but a rewarding experience nonetheless. See you next year in Boston.
Quoted in this piece looking at the impact of the Russo-Ukrainian War on non-Russian peoples on the Russian periphery: www.cbc.ca/newsinteract...
Distrust of Moscow is not unlikely. Also this story is nothing new, but also forgets another notable reason for end of peace negotiations in Spring 22: the increasing knowledge of Russian atrocities and war crimes that inherently changed the realities of this war and peace. Bucha changed everything
Servant of the People faction leader Davyd Arakhamia says Russia offered to halt its invasion in spring 2022 negotiations if Ukraine ditched NATO aspirations and codified neutrality. Kyiv refused out of distrust for Moscow & Boris Johnson telling them to keep fighting, says Arakhamia.
Война могла закончиться весной 2022-го, если бы Украина согласилась на нейтралитет.
Такое заявление сделал лид...
Today in my History of IR Theory course, I pit 1990s-2000s Mearsheimer against today's Mearsheimer to discuss offensive realism and to discuss criticisms of realism today. Should be fun. It's also my way of offering students a chance to ask questions about the Rus-Ukr. War.
Apparently this is only available in North America (and potentially some other regions). PBS Frontline also has it up on their site. pbs.org/wgbh/frontli... Not sure if it has different restrictions.
FRONTLINE and The Associated Press present this extraordinary account of the Russian siege of Mariupol, seen through the lens of the AP’s Mstyslav Chernov and two colleagues who documented the
pbs.org20 Days in Mariupol is now available on Youtube. It is a first-hand account of the horrors Russia inflicted upon Mariupol in the early days of the escalation against Ukraine. It details some of the earliest known atrocities Russia committed. www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvAy...
Ukrainian journalist Mstyslav Chernov and his colleagues risk their lives to document Russia's siege of Mariupol in this FRONTLINE/AP documentary. The Guardi...
www.youtube.comA good review of the budding historiography and a fair review of three books on the subject. Adding to his review of Plokhy's Russo-Ukrainian War and his own book on the subject (still waiting on my copy to arrive!), people should follow Mark Edele's analysis. insidestory.org.au/writing-the-...
Russia’s war against Ukraine is generating a rich historiography
insidestory.org.auReally brings into perspective that "desatanization" Russia claims to be enacting in Ukraine... meduza.io/en/feature/2...
Nikolai Ogolobyak, who was sentenced in 2010 to 20 years in a penal colony for the ritual killing of four teenagers in Russia’s Yaroslavl region, was pardoned after fighting in Russia’s full-scale...
meduza.ioDear remaining peer reviewer, please hurry. Yet again, more and more connections between Soviets and WW2 and Russia and Ukraine today. Just hope they are positive as my book sheds light on these connections and I hope that the book can be published quickly for the general public to read.