Dr. Herrera will examine the question of why Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale war in 2022. The answer does not seem to be related to many of the usual explanations that IR scholars privilege, like economic interests or threats to security. Instead, Russia’s imperial ambitions and sense of Russian national identity heavily shaped President Putin’s decision to launch the full-scale invasion. Dr. Herrera will shed light on these topics and provide a sense of how Russia’s invasion of Ukraine demonstrates the ways in which national identity and war intersect.

Location: Athenaeum