Vladimir Putin sparked his own enemy—Ukrainian nationalism and fighting resolve—over the past decade with Russian bullying and low quality of life in the country’s disputed territories.
Today, three weeks into the Russian invasion of Ukraine, daily horrors broadcast from the country’s largest cities show the extent of the conflict, which has resulted in thousands of casualties and more than 2 million people fleeing for neighboring countries.
Yet life continues fairly calmly for Ukrainians in rural areas. Putin, the president of Russia, is likely too scared to drive the conflict into nuclear war. And Ukraine will eventually rebuild as it has before.
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These are the observations today by Robert Peacock, a Michigan native and Ukraine expert, in a special Zoom broadcast hosted by Bridge Michigan, the nonprofit, nonpartisan news site formed by the Center for Michigan.
Peacock worked 15 years as a U.S. State Department program manager, United Nations sanctions coordinator and security forces trainer in the former Soviet Union and Ukraine. Originally from Mason, Michigan, Peacock is now an assistant professor in the Stephen J. Green School of International and Public Affairs at Florida International University.
Watch the full conversation here:
Today’s Q & A between Peacock and Center for Michigan CEO John Bebow is the latest in a monthly series of Zoom coffee hours for our Bridge Builders institutional members and Power Circle major individual donors.
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