Dr. Mark Conversino spoke on "Russia Then and Now"

17 Oct 2017 4:39 PM | Jeremy Lewis (Administrator)

Dr. Mark Conversino gave a lively presentation in Russia to members on 12 Sep. Since 2014, he explained, Baltic allies have been worried by large Russian military exercises (Zarpad 2017) and by active propaganda. The Russians are both post-imperial and post-colonial and therefore have to define themselves. They do not see themselves as a middling regional power, but a state attempting to protect Russian speakers (25 M) wherever they find themselves after the fall of Empire. The regime now wants to dial back the clock to a bygone era. Ukraine is an especially emotive issue, a brother slavic state. The Crimean incursion was well executed and so are the propaganda outlets, RT and Sputnik. NATO's countermeasures are limited, though there is now a tripwire force in the Baltics, facing up to a much larger Russian force. However, Russia is facing enormous losses of oil revenue and the nationalism helps to deflect public attention away from economic struggles. 

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