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International Relations

Claire Finkelstein discusses Ukraine, NATO, and U.S. ethics and cybersecurity
Jens Stoltenberg and Volodymyr Zelensky at a NATO press conference.

Joint press conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Dec. 16, 2021. (Image: NATO)

Claire Finkelstein discusses Ukraine, NATO, and U.S. ethics and cybersecurity

The Algernon Biddle Professor of Law and Professor of Philosophy runs down the reality of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and asks what ethical and legal responsibility NATO has, and what risks could NATO incur, from intervention.

From Penn Carey Law

Aiming to control Ukraine, Russia risks quagmire of foreign regime change

Aiming to control Ukraine, Russia risks quagmire of foreign regime change

Mitchell Orenstein of the School of Arts & Sciences said Russia’s biggest obstacle is “the fact that Ukraine is a real nation and it has tens, if not hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people who are willing to lay down their lives in defense of Ukraine.” Even if they succeeded in installing a puppet government, Orenstein said, Russia would have “a very, very difficult time controlling the territory.”

Local Russian, Ukrainian immigrants living in Philadelphia struggle to understand war

Local Russian, Ukrainian immigrants living in Philadelphia struggle to understand war

Mitchell Orenstein of the School of Arts & Sciences said many Russians are surprised by news of the war in Ukraine. “There is a sense of shock presently among Russian people in Russia; this is not their image of Russia,” he said. “Ukrainians are kind of seen as close cousins. So, I think there is a sense of shock and widespread disappointment and disapproval of this war among a lot of people in Russia.”

Putin’s motivation behind the attack on Ukraine 
A Ukrainian flag is shown in front of a spray painted image of Vladimir Putin with a red handprint on his face

Russia launched a wide-ranging attack on Ukraine on Thursday, hitting cities and bases with airstrikes or shelling, as civilians piled into trains and cars to flee. (Image: AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Putin’s motivation behind the attack on Ukraine 

In a Q&A with Penn Today, Michael C. Horowitz, director of Perry World House, provides insight into Putin’s motivations, nuclear threats, and expansionist views.

Kristen de Groot

Nixon’s China visit, 50 years later
President Richard Nixon smiles and shakes hands with a smiling Chairman Mao

In this Feb. 21, 1972 file photo, U.S. President Richard M. Nixon, left, shakes hands with Chinese communist party leader Chairman Mao Zedong during Nixon's groundbreaking trip to China, in Beijing. Forged in absolute secrecy at the height of the Cold War 30 years ago, the diplomatic ties established between the United States and China were meant to balance out the Soviet threat. (Image: AP Photo/File)

Nixon’s China visit, 50 years later

On the 50th anniversary of President Richard Nixon’s historic visit to the People’s Republic of China, David Eisenhower discusses the significance of the milestone amid the fraying relations between the two nations. 

Kristen de Groot

Russia’s disinformation campaign against the U.S.
People walking in Moscow's Red Square are reflected in a puddle on the ground

Moscow’s Red Square, Dec. 28, 2021. (Image: AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

Russia’s disinformation campaign against the U.S.

Mitchell Orenstein of the Russia and East European Studies Program discusses the Kremlin’s manipulation tactics in a conversation with Russian politician and dissident Konstantin Borovoi.

Kristen de Groot

Can Russia be stopped?
Trudy Rubin and former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Alexander Vershbow sit in chairs on a stage with a sign between them reading Perry World House

Trudy Rubin (left), foreign affairs columnist with the Philadelphia Inquirer, and former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Alexander Vershbow discuss tensions between Russia and Ukraine at Perry World House. (Image: Courtesy of Perry World House)

Can Russia be stopped?

Alexander Vershbow, former U.S. ambassador to Russia and Perry World House Distinguished Visiting Fellow, discusses Russia’s military buildup along the Ukrainian border that’s stoking invasion fears.

Kristen de Groot

How to close the Guantánamo Bay detention facility
Torn American flag flying at Guantánamo Bay.

How to close the Guantánamo Bay detention facility

On the 20th anniversary of the arrival of detainees at the U.S. prison, Penn’s Center for Ethics and the Rule of Law releases 13 recommendations on how to shutter the facility.

From Center for Ethics and the Rule of Law

Perry World House explores the end of asylum
People silohetted against a hill at sunset

The number of displaced people will only increase with time, says Michael Jones-Correa. (Photo by Halima Bouchouicha on Unsplash

Perry World House explores the end of asylum

In a Perry World House talk, political scientist Michael Jones-Correa of the School of Arts & Sciences discussed the end of asylum, “one of the most pressing issues of our time,” he said.

Kristina García