Putin's War and History
Online panel discussion hosted by the Faculty of Arts and Humanities
Apparently, Ukraine has always been part of Russia, has no history of its own, it is not a "nation" and therefore has no right to be an independent state – this is how President Vladimir Putin justifies the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. This historical metaphysics mindset is one element of Putin's delusional worldview and leads to one of the most important questions we are currently facing: How can we get through to someone who is trapped in a delusional thought system?
At the same time, such a delusional system cannot be upheld without an echo chamber to bolster it: Do the Russians believe him? What role do the secret service and the oligarchs play? Are we accurately analyzing Putin's language and understanding of politics, as well as the political systems of Russia and Ukraine? What have we in the West missed and where have we possibly gone wrong? A critical analysis of these questions may contribute to a clearer understanding of the conflict.
For this reason, on Thursday, March 10, the Faculty of Arts and Humanities will host a panel discussion titled “A Historical Turning Point: Putin’s War – The History and the Future of International Politics". The panel discussion will take place from 5 to 7:30 pm and will be broadcast online.
The panelists are:
- Prof. em. Dr. Armin Heinen, Modern and Contemporary History, RWTH Aachen University
- Prof. em. Dr. Helmut König, Political Theory and History of Ideas, RWTH Aachen University
- Prof. Dr. Jan Kusber, Eastern European History, University of Mainz
- Prof. Dr. Ralph Rotte, International Relations, RWTH Aachen University
The panel discussion, which will be held in German, will be moderated by Dr. Christine Roll, professor of Early Modern History at RWTH Aachen University and dean of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities.
Please register for the event by email to receive the link and access code.