Fear and Retribution: Why the Russian diaspora shows little support for Moscow’s massacres in Ukraine
By Vic Satzewich, Professor of Sociology, McMaster University Members of diaspora communities often mobilize to provide support to their ancestral homeland during a crisis. While the Russian invasion of Ukraine is a crisis for Ukrainians, it is also a crisis for...
A short history of nationalism: Why Russia’s attack on Ukraine is literally a war against Ukrainian statehood
By Dominique Arel, Professor and holder of the Chair of Ukrainian Studies, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa Almost a month has passed since since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his violent, unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. While his stated...
Our Dystopian Normal: Why American narcissism over COVID is still needlessly killing people
The United States has all but declared the COVID-19 pandemic over and done with. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) advised 230 million Americans, 70 percent of the population, to no longer wear masks in most cases, including indoors. Cities, counties, and...
A Psychological Storm: How the rush to “normalcy” has robbed us the time to grieve COVID losses
We have lost a great deal within the last two years. The worldwide COVID death toll has surpassed 6 million lives. In the United States, nearly a million people have succumbed to the virus, more than the number of people who died during the Civil War. In fact, more...
Conservative Discontent: How White fears led to philanthropy that discouraged discussions of race
While pundits and scholars continue to debate the extent to which Donald Trump’s time in office has eroded American democracy, what is clear is that the former president’s political rhetoric breached the boundaries of acceptable racial discourse in the United States....
A freefall into poverty: UN report estimates that war has destroyed $100B worth of Ukraine’s infrastructure
While peace talks and humanitarian aid for civilians remain top global priorities amid Russia’s ongoing assault of Ukraine, a United Nations report released on March 16 estimates that over $100 billion in damage has already been done to the country’s...
Ukrainian identity has only grown stronger in the century since young men gathered to defend Kyiv
By Matthew Pauly, Associate Professor of History, Michigan State University This is not the first time residents of Kyiv have fought to defend the city from an encroaching, larger army. On January 30, 1918, a force made up primarily of military cadets and hastily...
Moscow’s Miscalculations: How a little tyrant botched the attempt to subjugate a fearless nation
By Anton Oleinik, Professor of Sociology, Memorial University of Newfoundland The war started by Vladimir Putin against Ukraine is not unfolding as he expected it would. His attempts to play the Cold War game of making threats to achieve his goals were not perceived...
Is Vladimir Putin a War Criminal? Understanding the legal implications of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said the world must officially recognize that, under Putin, Russia has become a terrorist state. United States President Joe Biden has labelled his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, a “war criminal” for the war in Ukraine, drawing sharp...
Governor Tony Evers kicks off statewide tour to honor Health Care Heroes for work during pandemic
Early in the pandemic the phrase “health care heroes” was used to laud those on the front lines. Now that the pandemic has loosened its grip on Wisconsin, that term is once again being used to show appreciation. On March 14, Governor Tony Evers kicked off...
COVID-19 in decline: Two years of the pandemic and for some the future will still include wearing masks
Before the pandemic, Margaret Wilkins of Oconomowoc was a kindergarten teacher. But in November 2020, she contracted COVID-19. The weakness, dizziness, fatigue, and heart issues, from her symptoms were scary. “I tried to go back to teach in January, but I...
Evacuees fleeing to Kyiv share dire stories about escaping Russia’s terror campaign on small towns
While Ukrainian forces have, so far, successfully held off the Russian troops from taking Kyiv, the towns around the capital have become some of the most intense battlegrounds of the ongoing war. Russia seized the outlying suburban towns with vehicles and infantry,...
