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Clash of Histories: War in Ukraine and Tensions in Latvia
Issues of history are used as one of the mains instruments of Russian public diplomacy in support of Russia`s goals to dominate the wider region – the former territory of the Soviet Union. Russian authorities often accuse countries in this region of attempting to “rewrite history”, of “revising” the results of the Second World War and “justifying” Nazism. In Ukraine, conflicting interpretations of history are part of the very foundation of ongoing violence and war. In Latvia, Russia’s political activity on historical matters is preventing the creation of a common historical narrative among Latvians and Russians, undermining societal integration and the social peace required for the normal and democratic development of the country.
January 27th, 2015
Metropolitan Building Room 5183
2:00PM - 3:30PM
Karina V. Korostelina is an Associate Professor at the School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution, GMU and a Director of the Program on History, Memory and Conflict. She is a leading expert on identity-based conflicts, peace culture, conflict resolution and peacebuilding. Her recent interests include the study of intergroup insult, civilian devastation, the processes of politicization of history, history education, and reconciliation in conflict and post-violent societies. She has been Fulbright New Century Scholar, has participated in the Regional Scholar Exchange Program, administered by the Kennan Institute, Woodrow Wilson Center and in the CRC Nationalism session at the Curriculum Resource Center of the Central European University.
Andis Kudors is a 1996 graduate of the International Law and Economics Program at the University of Latvia’s Institute of International Affairs. From 2005 until 2011, he studied political science at the University of Latvia, specializing in Latvian-Russian relations and earning a BA and then an MA in political science. Since 2006, Mr. Kudors has been executive director of the Centre for East European Policy Studies (CEEPS). His main research interests include current foreign policy trends in Eastern Europe and post-Soviet countries. He is an author of several publications about Russia’s compatriot policy, soft power, public diplomacy, as well as about Russian Orthodox Church activities in Russian foreign policy. Andis Kudors is a member of the Foreign Policy Council at The Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He is a frequent public speaker in Latvia and co-author of the blog ‘Baltic Scholars for Ukraine’ (created by program of Stanford University Libraries and The Museum of Occupations in Tallinn). Andis Kudors is a Fulbright Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Centre till the end of January, 2015.