Description

Current relations between Russia and NATO are at the lowest level since the end of Cold War. The ongoing armed conflict in Ukraine undermined the perception of Russia as a reliable partner in eyes of Western countries.

Even though there are different perceptions on Kremlin’s foreign policy in particular Alliance members, there is a general consensus on condemnation of Russian military activities in Ukraine. At the same time, there have been many attempts of NATO allies to develop long-term platforms for cooperation in different areas in order to avoid any significant isolation of Russia. As a consequence of current security changes in Europe, to keep the Arctic and other regions as zones of peace and cooperation has been a considerable challenge.

The talk focuses on security developments in Transatlantic area before and after Crimea with focus on Russia as an unpredictable player.

Speaker’s Biography

Dr. Barbora Padrtova is an Assistant Professor at the Department of International Relations and European Studies at the Faculty of Social Studies at Masaryk University in Brno, the Czech Republic. She also works as a Research Scholar affiliated with the Arctic Futures Initiative at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), based in Laxenburg, Austria. Previously she led a research group at the Institute of International Relations in Prague. The research group developed a comprehensive analysis of Arctic states’ policies tailored to the benefit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic. She is a Czech delegate to the Social & Human Working Group of the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC). Her research interests focus on geopolitics and security in the Arctic region, securitization theory, US-Russia relations, and NATO-Russia relations.

Registration

Itinerary:
6:00 pm Doors open
6:30 pm Dinner with the speaker (RSVP)
7:45 pm Doors open to the public
8:00 pm Public presentation begins

Two ways to attend:

[1] Public Presentation at 8 pm – free; or
[2] Dinner with the speaker at 6 pm, followed by presentation.
Students – $20 per plate
All other CIC members – $25 per plate
Nonmembers – $30 per plate

Register for “dinner+presentation” through the Eventbrite website, or by contacting
treasurer Michael Blain at 306-220-2271 (deadline: Friday, October 5, 4:00 p.m.). Dinner registrants will be expected to pay even if they cannot or do not attend. Persons with dinner reservations who cannot attend are encouraged to find someone else to take their place.