UNO Ukrainian Conflict Panel

Earlier today, the University of Nebraska-Omaha held a panel to discuss the recent events happening between Russia and Ukraine. The event was sponsored by the UNO Department of Political Science, the Goldstein Center for Human Rights at UNO, and the National Counterterrorism, Technology and Education Center (NCITE). The panel consisted of four members who are well versed on the topic at hand: Rafal Kopec, Przemyslaw Mazur, Michelle Black, and Jody Neathery-Castro.

For the panel, the four members each took turns discussing their thoughts on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and where they think it will go. Zopec, a member of Pedagogical University in Poland, was the first member to speak. One of the most notable things he said was that the war isn’t about culture, but it’s a power statement for Russia. He feels that a big reason they have gone so far with the Ukraine invasion is to show the high status that Russia holds. He felt that Russia had to do it now because their moment won’t last for long. He said that Russia is thinking in terms of now or never as they are getting weaker.

Michelle Black, from the Department of Political Science at UNO, had a lot of valuable statements regarding the situation. She gave a lot of insight on why Russia invaded Ukraine when they did, and what may have led to that moment. She said that NATO was a big part of this invasion, as Russia would view Ukraine as a threat if they joined NATO. She also spoke on Vladmir Putin, saying “Only Putin knows Putin.” She then spoke on how we proceed with this event, noting that “Where we go from here needs to have a lot of thought behind it.”

Jody Neathery-Castro, another member of the UNO Department of Political Science, was the final member of the panel to speak. She spoke on how Russia hasn’t done as well as they expected, stating that “This hasn’t gone how Russia planned it.” She said that this dispute between Ukraine and Russia is good vs evil, but that’s not how people in Russia are hearing it.

Overall, the panel gave a lot of good information about the invasion of Ukraine. All four provided their opinions on the matter and gave insight on what they felt was next. It was an enjoyable listen, and I am interested to see what is next.

Questions for the panel:

1. Do you think this could have been avoided? If so, how?

2. Is there anything Ukraine can do right now to put their people in a better situation?

3. Is the end of this conflict nearing an end, or will we see a lot more?

4. What needs to happen for Russia to leave Ukraine?

5. What is your prediction for how this will all end?