Ideas Exchange: Understanding the Conflict in Ukraine

Thinking critically about the big ideas that shape our everyday.

Join our panel, moderated by Michaela Kalowski, as we unpack the geopolitical factors at play in the war in Ukraine.

What are the historical, cultural and political dimensions to the crisis? What are the effects on global energy and manufacturing? What are the implications for the contemporary world and us here in Australia?

Panellists:

Justin Hastings is Professor of International Relations and Comparative Politics at the University of Sydney, where he is also Regional Security Program Leader at the Centre for International Security Studies, and is affiliated with the China Studies Centre, and the Sydney Southeast Asia Centre. He is the author of two books and a number of journal articles and popular pieces on security issues, with a particular focus on terrorism, insurgency, organized crime, maritime piracy, nuclear weapons proliferation, black and gray markets, and strategic issues.

Dr Sonia Mycak is a Research Fellow in the Centre for European Studies at the Australian National University. She has previously held research fellowships at the University of Sydney and the University of New South Wales, in the main awarded by the Australian Research Council. Dr Mycak has been highly vocal about the human cost of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Emily Clark is a journalist with ABC News International. She has been a journalist since 2010, working in current affairs television and digital news. Most recently Emily was sent to Europe to cover Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. She worked with her ABC colleagues in eastern Poland and western Ukraine to document the refugee crisis as millions of people were forced to flee their homes in search of safety. Emily has also been on assignment in New Zealand, Fiji and spent six weeks in the United States covering the 2020 General Election. At the heart of her work is a dedication to documenting the experience of the people world events impact most as well as bringing an understanding to audiences here at home.