Please join the Program on U.S.-Russian Relations at the Harriman Institute for a panel discussion with leading experts Arkady Moshes (Finnish Institute of International Affairs, Helsinki), Ivan Zharkou (Belarussian Institute for Strategic Research), and Tatsiana Kulakevich (University of South Florida), who will share their perspectives on recent developments in foreign policy and the evolution of Belarusian national identity.
This event was live streamed on our Facebook page via Facebook Live.
Belarus—a longtime cultural and strategic partner to Russia—has taken steps toward the West in the wake of Russia’s annexation of Crimea. The U.S. has welcomed these moves, as shown by U.S. Secretary of State’s recent visit to Belarus. At the same time, Belarusian president Lukashenko continues to discuss integration with Russia in a Union State. What does the future hold for Belarus? Will it follow Ukraine on a path toward EU membership, join with the Russian Federation, or is there a uniquely Belarusian solution?
SPEAKERS
Arkady Moshes is Program Director for the EU Eastern Neighborhood and Russia research program at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs (Helsinki). He worked at the Institute of Europe in Moscow from 1988 to 2002. From 2008 to 2015 he was an associate member of the Russia and Eurasia Programme at Chatham House. Moshes co-edited What has remained of the USSR: Exploring the erosion of the post-Soviet space (FIIA report 58, 2019) and Russia as a Network State: What Works in Russia When State Institutions Do Not (Palgrave Macmillan, 2011) and has contributed articles to, among others, International Affairs and Post-Soviet Affairs. Areas of expertise: Russian-European relations, domestic and foreign policies of Ukraine and Belarus.
Ivan Zharkou is Head of Department at the Belarussian Institute for Strategic Research, a government-affiliated think tank.
Tatsiana Kulakevich is a Visiting Assistant Professor at the University of South Florida, where she teaches Politics of Europe and Eastern Europe as well as Quantitative Research Methods. She works closely with the USF’s Institute on Russia, organizing and moderating events raising the university’s international profile and the community’s awareness of global developments in Eastern Europe. Kulakevich’s analyses on Belarus have appeared in various media and academic journals, including The Washington Post’s Monkey Cage, New York University’s Jordan Center for the Advanced Study of Russia, The Globe Post, Belarus Digest, and East European Politics and Societies: and Cultures.
This event is open to the public and on the record. By attending, you consent to appearing in any photos or videos produced by the event organizer or affiliated third parties. No personal recordings are allowed. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us in advance by emailing Carly Jackson, crj2116@columbia.edu.
