We are pleased to announce that this year The Annual Oslo Peace and Conflict Lecture will be given by Professor Eugene Finkel, on the topic of Russia’s violence in and against Ukraine.
Title: Intent to Destroy: Russia's Two-Hundred-Year Quest to Dominate Ukraine
Time and place: Aug. 21, 2025 4:15 PM – 6:30 PM, Auditorium 1, Eilert Sundts hus
Eugene Finkel is the Kenneth H. Keller professor of international affairs at Johns Hopkins University. Professor Finkel works at the intersection of political science and history, with a core focus on Russia and Eastern Europe and his research focuses on how institutions and individuals respond to extreme situations: mass violence, state collapse, and rapid change.
In Finkel's most recent book Intent to Destroy, he shows how Russia has systematically sought to undermine Ukraine's independence over two centuries, through military, political, and cultural strategies, highlighting the ongoing struggle for Ukrainian statehood. His main argument is that violence and repression are deeply rooted in the history of Russo-Ukrainian relations, and he will present some of the book’s key findings in this lecture.
Following the lecture there will be a panel discussion moderated by Professor Tore Wig:
Over three years has passed since the perhaps most important event in Europe since the collapse of the Soviet Union began. One could argue that Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine is the number one global geopolitical development since 9/11. What is the situation now and what is the way forward?
To discuss this we have invited Professor and Director Iver B. Neumann, Member of Parliament and Leader of Venstre, Guri Melby, and Dr. Kristin Ven Bruusgaard.
We invite students, alumni, staff and friends of PECOS to join us for this event. Please register before August 11:
https://www.sv.uio.no/isv/english/research/news-and-events/events/guest-lectures-and-seminars/2025/the-annual-oslo-peace-and-conflict-lecture-intent-.html
Also check out other Business events in Oslo, Workshops in Oslo.
