"The Russian- Ukrainian War: Regional and Global Impacts" Lecture Held at IUS

On May 17, 2022, Dr. Gretchen Knudson Gee, Professor at the Northern Arizona University, USA visited the International University of Sarajevo (IUS) and held an informative lecture titled "The Russian- Ukrainian War: Regional and Global Impacts". The lecture covered a very relevant topic of Russian invasion of Ukraine and its impact on the states all over the world.

After an introductory speech by Assistant Professor Dr. Aliaksandr Novikau from the Department of International Relations and Public Administration at the Faculty of Business and Administration, Dr. Gee continued by presenting her assumptions about how the current situation in Ukraine will impact the balance of power in the world. According to Dr. Gee, this ongoing war is likely to strengthen the Western block, notably the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) that has experienced greater support and interest by the countries that were before reluctant to join such as Sweden and Finland. Additionally, Dr. Gretchen assumes that the war is also likely to boost the anti-Western block especially the BRICS states (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), countries that openly assert themselves to be different than the West.

European states have shown an enormous understanding and support towards Ukraine by condemning crimes committed by the Russian forces and by extensively assisting in military and humanitarian aid to the Ukrainian people. Furthermore, Dr. Gee claims that it is important to pay attention to the misinformative campaigns in media created by the Russian state apparatus which have an enormous influence on the public and on the moral of Russian people. She especially emphasized the role of social media, a medium to which many people have free access and its ability to spread false information without any supervision.

Dr. Gretchen concluded the lecture by saying that it will be interesting to see the events that will follow in the aftermath of the Ukrainian war and the change in the balance of power in the world. After the lecture, the audience participated in a thorough discussion.