Fairfield University faculty members will be joined by Conrad Turner, retired minister counselor of the Foreign Service of the U.S. Department of State, to host “Russia and Ukraine: The Politics of Resentment,” a panel discussion at 2 p.m. on March 9. Moderated by Kathryn Nantz, PhD, the panelists will address questions such as:

• What is the historical context of the crisis? What warning signs did Western countries miss and what do we need to understand going forward?
• How have resentments on both sides fueled the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and what’s behind Ukraine’s remarkable response?
• What are the fears and struggles of ordinary Ukrainians navigating this extraordinarily difficult time? How is the protection of civilians — and the refugee crisis — being handled?
• What does the Russian attack on Ukraine mean for the world order? From international perspectives, what are the implications of the threat of — or use of — indiscriminate weapons (cluster bombs, nuclear weapons) and other war crimes?

About the moderator:
Kathryn Nantz, PhD, professor of economics in the Charles F. Dolan School of Business, is a specialist in labor economics and education. She has been involved in a variety of grant-funded projects, nationally and internationally, that have involved academic integrity and the scholarship of teaching and learning, including on projects related to academic integrity as a driver of development in Ukraine and Albania, and on the effectiveness of international aid programs in newly independent states.

About the panelists:
David Schmidt, PhD, is the director of the Patrick J. Waide Center for Applied Ethics at Fairfield University and an associate professor of business ethics in the Management Department of the Charles F. Dolan School of Business.

Drs. Nantz and Schmidt served as consultants and training facilitators to the Ukraine Academic Integrity Project, “The Strengthening of Academic Integrity in Ukrainian Higher Education Program (SAIUP)” implemented by American Councils for International Education, which promotes reform through a public diplomacy partnership with the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv. Skill-building is combined with building public support and strengthening the operational framework to create enduring change. Drs. Nantz and Schmidt traveled to Ukraine for multiple consultations from 2016-2019.

Janie Leatherman, PhD, professor of politics and international studies in the College of Arts and Sciences, and director of the Humanitarian Action program in the Center for Social Impact, has served as a consultant and trainer on conflict, conflict prevention, and peacebuilding projects. Her publications, teaching, and service are focused on conflict analysis and resolution, humanitarianism, and peace studies, including: early warning and conflict prevention, gender-based violence, armed conflict, international organization, diplomacy, human rights, and transnational democracy.

David McFadden, PhD, is a professor of history and director of the Russian, East European and Central Asian Studies program in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Conrad Turner, minister counselor of the Foreign Service of the United States of America, retired, is a specialist in public diplomacy and communications. He has worked for the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Information Agency, including as public diplomat, section head, and senior foreign service officer in U.S. embassies in India (Bhutan), Ukraine, Iraq, Serbia, Croatia, and Kyrgyzstan, with additional positions in Russia and Belarus. 

To Register to attend the virtual panel discussion, “Russia and Ukraine: The Politics of Resentment,”on March 9 at 2 p.m., please visit the College of Arts and Sciences' section of events.fairfield.edu, or use the registration button link below.