Beyond Great Power Competition: Africa-Ukraine Relations in a Fragmented World

Description:

What is the past, present, and future of Africa-Ukraine relations? And how do Ukrainian and African state and non-state actors articulate and pursue transnational solidarity through both formal and informal avenues? The events of the Russian-Ukrainian war led Ukrainian diplomats and observers to view the current moment as the renaissance of African-Ukrainian relations. African diplomats, for their part, aimed to enhance their international positions by presenting themselves as neutral peace brokers between Ukraine and Russia.

Please join International Security Studies, the Program in Russian, East European & Eurasian Studies, and the Council on African Studies for a symposium exploring the possibilities and limits of Africa-Ukraine ties in politics, diplomacy, economics, and culture. Our goal is to understand both contemporary developments and the historical legacies of the Cold War and colonialism in both regions.

Speakers:

Thom Loyd, Assistant Professor of History, Augusta University

Nana Osei-Opare, Assistant Professor of African and Cold War History, Rice University

Adriana Helbig, Associate Professor of Music, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies and CGS, University of Pittsburgh

Vitalii Dankevych, Professor of Economics, Dean of the Faculty of Law, Public Administration, and National Security, Polissia National University, Ukraine

Olexiy Haran, Professor of Comparative Politics, University of Kyiv Mohyla Academy, Research Director of the Democratic Initiatives Foundation, Ukraine

Moderator:

Arne Westad, Elihu Professor of History and Global Affairs, Director of International Security Studies and Director of the Brady-Johnson Program in Grand Strategy, Yale University.

Lunch will be served at 11:30am, with presentations beginning at 12:00pm.

This event is open to the Yale Community. Please register in advance. For questions related to the symposium, please contact Nataliia Laas (nataliia.laas@yale.edu) or Vivien Chang (vivien.chang@yale.edu).