UC Berkeley News : Berkeley Talks: UC Berkeley Experts On The Invasion Of Ukraine

Berkeley CA

01 March, 2022

10:33 AM

Description

Press release from UC Berkeley News: Public Affairs 2022-02-28 Read the transcript. Follow Berkeley Talks, a Berkeley News podcast that features lectures and conversations at UC Berkeley. Review us on Apple Podcasts. In episode 135 of Berkeley Talks, UC Berkeley political scientist George Breslauer and economics professor Yuriy Gorodnichenko discuss Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine — what his motivations are and how they compare to Adolf Hitler's and Joseph Stalin's, if the invasion was avoidable and what should be done about it. "This could have been avoided," said Breslauer, professor emeritus of political science and author of the 2021 book, The Rise and Demise of World Communism, at the Feb. 25 event. "Putin has now shown his worst instincts. He has shown his dark side, taking no prisoners in this attack on Ukraine. I just hope that he is retrievable toward a diplomatic compromise that calls for no Ukraine in NATO and no ceding to the Russian sphere of influence, formal neutralization. But we'll see if that is even possible in light of what's going on now." This talk was sponsored by UC Berkeley's Osher Lifelong Learning Center (OLLI). Watch a video of this talk on OLLI's YouTube page. Listen to other episodes of Berkeley Talks: This press release was produced by UC Berkeley News. The views expressed here are the author's own.