The Russian decision to invade Ukraine was seen as an inevitability to some observers, but a surprise to many others. While the precise motivations are still subject to much debate, the current situation is highly dynamic and the future of the war remains uncertain. This panel will examine the underlying political economy of Russia to better understand the reasons for war and its ramifications for the region and the wider world economy.
Ilya Matveev is a political scientist based in St Petersburg, Russia. He is a founding editor of Openleft.ru and a member of the research group Public Sociology Laboratory.
Boris Kagarlitsky is a well-known international commentator on Russian politics and society. He was a deputy to the Moscow City Soviet between 1990-93, during which time he was a member of the executive of the Socialist Party of Russia, co-founder of the Party of Labour, and advisor to the Chairperson of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Russia. Previously, he was a student of art criticism and was imprisoned for two years for 'anti-Soviet' activities.
Ilya Budraitskis writes regularly on politics, art, film and philosophy for e-flux journal, openDemocracy, LeftEast, Colta.ru and other outlets, and teaches at the Moscow School of Social and Economic Sciences and the Institute of Contemporary Art Moscow. The Russian edition of his essay collection Dissidents among Dissidents was awarded the prestigious Andrei Bely prize in 2017.
Suzi Weissman is Professor of Politics at Saint Mary’s College of CA, the author of Victor Serge: A Political Biography, among other works. She is an award-winning broadcast journalist and hosts “Beneath the Surface” program on Los Angeles’ KPFK radio and the Jacobin Radio podcast. She began weekly broadcasting on KPFK in 1981, first with the program "Portraits of the USSR" (1981-1993) and "Read All About It" from 1981-1994. When the Soviet Union collapsed and the Cold War came to end, President George HW Bush called it 'the new world order" so Suzi started a new weekly program "The New World Disorder" that aired from 1993-1995.
Register here: https://ucla.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMpcu6rqTwoGdwdvZ1wJqPc3mMGX63jozrW
This event is co-sponsored with the UCLA Center for European and Russian Studies.