Princeton voices: Speaking out on the Russian invasion of Ukraine

As the world grapples in real time with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Princeton scholars are speaking to the moment. Many Princeton faculty members, alumni, staff and students are sharing their expertise and perspectives in op-eds, on television and cable news programs, online and in print publications, on virtual panels and across social media.

Read, view and listen to some of their contributions to the international conversation. We will continue to update this roundup.

Expert panels

• Freedom and Self-Determination in Times of Aggression,” 10-11 a.m. Wednesday, March 16, 019 Bendheim Hall, and livestreamed on the University’s YouTube channel. Public statement by Her Excellency Dominique Hasler, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Education and Sport of the Principality of Liechtenstein. Hosted by Princeton’s Liechtenstein Institute on Self-Determination. Princeton students, faculty and staff who are permitted on campus are welcome to attend the event in person. Due to Princeton University Covid restrictions, we are obligated to keep a record of every person that attends. Therefore, in order to attend the event in person, you must RSVP.
• Princeton Public Lectures: Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch, 6-7:15 p.m. Tuesday, April 12, Richardson Auditorium. Yovanovitch is the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine (2009-17) and a senior fellow in the Russia and Eurasia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Free and open to the public.

Most recent

• “Let’s Talk About: Russian Misinformation and Cybersecurity,” March 11, panel moderated by Asha Rangappa, a 1996 alumna, CNN legal and national security analyst and former FBI agent. Featuring Jacob Shapiro, professor of politics and international affairs; Sergey Sanovich, postdoctoral research associate, Center for Information Technology Policy; and Alicia Wanless, director of the Partnership for Countering Influence Operations, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. This weekly series is hosted by the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs with support from Princeton’s Office of Communications. Watch on YouTube.
• Why don’t Russians rebel? Putin’s war and antiwar protests in Russia,” March 7, panel moderated by Ekaterina Pravilova, the Rosengarten Chair of Modern and Contemporary History, professor of history, and acting director of the Program in Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies. Featuring: Tikhon Dzyadko, editor-in-chief, TV Rain; Katerina Kotrikadze, head of the news department, TV Rain; and Greg Yudin, sociologist, Higher School of Economics, Moscow. Registration required. Register online.

Week of Feb. 27

• Ukraine — Global Ramifications,” March 4, panel moderated by Razia Iqbal, visiting Ferris Professor of Journalism, visiting lecturer in the Humanities Council and BBC Newshour host. Featuring: Filiz Garip, professor of sociology and public affairs; Brian Katulis, MPA ’00 and senior fellow at the Center for American Progress; and Michael Reynolds, associate professor of Near Eastern studies. Register for the Zoom webinar or view live on YouTube. This weekly series is hosted by the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs with support from Princeton’s Office of Communications. Watch the Feb. 25 panel “Princeton experts discuss the Russian invasion of Ukraine” on YouTube.
• Implications of Sanctions on the Russian Economy,” March 3. A webinar, hosted by the Markus Academy, with Sergei Guriev, professor at Sciences Po and formerly the chief economist at the EBRD and rector of Moscow’s New Economic School.  Introductory remarks by Markus Brunnermeier, the Edwards S. Sanford Professor of Economics and director of Princeton’s Bendheim Center for Finance.
• “The Ukraine Crisis and World Order,” March 1. A conversation, hosted by the Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies and Reimagining World Order, with Jeremy Adelman, the Henry Charles Lea Professor of History; Mark Beissinger, the Henry W. Putnam Professor of Politics; G. John Ikenberry, Albert G. Milbank Professor of Politics and International Affairs; Melissa Lee, assistant professor of politics and international affairs; and Iryna Vushko, assistant professor of history and a native of L’viv, Ukraine.

Faculty and leadership

Most recent

• Julian Zelizer, the Malcolm Stevenson Forbes, Class of 1941 Professor of History and Public Affairs, and Sam Wang, professor of neuroscience, discuss the current state of the war in Ukraine, how the media is responding and what might lay ahead politically in “The War in Ukraine and U.S. Politics,” the latest episode of their podcast “Politics & Polls.”
• Stephen Kotkin, the John P. Birkelund ’52 Professor in History and International Affairs, co-director of the Program in History and the Practice of Diplomacy, and director of Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies. David Remnick’s Q&A with Kotkin for The New Yorker (includes video) about Putin, the invasion of Ukraine, the American and European response, and what comes next. Remnick is a 1981 alumnus and editor of The New Yorker.

Week of March 6

• Alan Blinder, the Gordon S. Rentschler Memorial Professor of Economics and Public Affairs, quoted in “Powell’s Fed is set to attempt a rare soft landing — in the fog of war, no less.”
• Meg Jacobs, senior research scholar, Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, quoted in Bloomberg Green, “Europe is on a wartime mission to ditch Russian oil and gas” and “How to persuade Europeans to shun Russian fossil fuels.”
• Kevin Kruse, professor of history, on MSNBC, “Yes, Trump and Reagan were a lot alike. That’s not a good thing.”
• Sophie Meunier, senior research scholar, Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, analysis in the Washington Post, “Macron is likely to win the French presidency, in part thanks to Putin.”
• Ekaterina Pravilova, the Rosengarten Chair of Modern and Contemporary History, professor of history, and acting director of the Program in Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies. Interviewed on WNYC’s The Takeaway, “How Putin’s War Against Ukraine is Changing the Lives of Russians.”
• Lauren Wright, associate research scholar, Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, quoted in the Washington Post, “Jill Biden begins midterm campaign push with harsh words for Putin and Trump.”
• Frank von Hippel, professor of public and international affairs, emeritus, quoted in AP, “Explainer: What’s behind latest scare at Chernobyl plant?” and in the Washington Post, “The Ukraine power plant fire was contained. But nuclear experts fear what’s to come in Russia’s war.”

• Christopher L. Eisgruber, President of the University and the Laurance S. Rockefeller Professor of the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs and the University Center for Human Values. “President’s Blog: Statement Regarding the War in Ukraine.”
• Razia Iqbal, Ferris Professor of Journalism, visiting lecturer in the Humanities Council and BBC Newshour host, tweets a thread on the “racist, colonialist and orientalist perspectives” that are emerging in the media coverage of the invasion and its impact.
• Amaney Jamal, dean of the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs and the Edwards S. Sanford Professor of Politics. Dean’s Dialogue blog post “In Solidarity: Ukraine.”
• Harold James, the Claude and Lore Kelly Professor in European Studies, and professor of history and international affairs, on Project Syndicate ”A New Détente.”
• Jesse Jenkins, assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering and the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment, tweets a thread on the geopolitical consequences of Russian gas dependence.
• Stephen Kotkin, the John P. Birkelund ’52 Professor in History and International Affairs, co-director of the Program in History and the Practice of Diplomacy, director of the Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies, on Bloomberg (op-ed), ”Which Sanctions Would Hurt Putin the Most?”
• Paul Krugman, professor of politics and international affairs, emeritus, at The New York Times (op-ed), “Laundered Money Could Be Putin’s Achilles’ Heel.” On Twitter, he weighs in on the impact on wealthy Russians. 
• Atif Mian, the John H. Laporte, Jr. Class of 1967 Professor in Public Policy and Finance, professor of economics and public affairs, and director of the Julis-Rabinowitz Center for Public Policy and Finance, tweets about the potential economic fallout.
• Anne-Marie Slaughter, CEO of New America; the Bert G. Kerstetter ’66 University Professor Emerita of Politics and International Affairs and former dean of the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs; former director of policy planning at the U.S. State Department; and 1980 alumna, joins Foreign Policy Live, “What is Next for Ukraine?"
• Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, professor of African American studies, was quoted at SBS news for her condemnation of a CBS News correspondent’s commentary.
• Iryna Vushko, assistant professor of history, shares her perspectives as a native of L’viv, Ukraine, and a parent of a young child, in the Daily Princetonian, “As Ukraine fights for its freedom, we must conquer our fear.”
• Omar Wasow, visiting research collaborator in politics. A May 27, 2020 thread of his is picking up renewed steam as it relates to nonviolent tactics that Ukrainian civilians can use to fight back.
• Julian Zelizer, the Malcolm Stevenson Forbes, Class of 1941 Professor of History and Public Affairs, on CNN (op-ed), “How Biden’s political future could rest on Ukraine.”

Alumni

• Craig Mazin, a 1992 alumnus, and writer and producer of HBO’s “Chernobyl,” has been answering questions from followers on Twitter about the effects of invading Chernobyl.
• Julia Boorstin a 2000 alumna, and senior media and tech reporter at CNBC, joins CNBC’s Tech Check to discuss the steps that several platforms are taking to crack down on misinformation. 
• Sophia Cai, a 2021 alumna and Axios reporter, “Washington steels for Russian cyberattacks” and “Scoop: Zelensky pushes Biden on no-fly zone.”
• Christine Cheng, a 2002 graduate alumna and associate professor of War Studies at King’s College London, posts a Twitter thread about the consequences the world will face for decades to come.
• Patrick Chovanec, a 1992 alumnus and managing director and chief strategist at Silvercrest Asset Management, posts a Twitter thread on the strategic relationship between Russia and China.
• Dr. Celine Gounder, a 1997 alumna, and senior fellow and editor-at-large of Kaiser Health News, tweets about the impact of propaganda.
• Louis Jacobson, a 1992 alumnus, senior correspondent at Politifact and columnist at U.S. News and the University of Virginia Center for Politics. At PolitiFact, “Russia’s economy and Western sanctions: What you need to know.”
• Brian Katulis, a 2000 graduate alumnus and vice president for research and senior fellow at the Middle East Institute. At the Liberal Patriot (he is co-editor with Peter Juul), “What Happens in Ukraine Doesn’t Stay in Ukraine.”
• Frank Langfitt, a 1986 alumnus and London correspondent at NPR, “Russia continues to advance on Kyiv in attempt to topple Ukrainian government.” And, a Q&A with Princeton Alumni Weekly while reporting on the ground in Ukraine.
• Craig Mazin, a 1992 alumnus, and writer and producer of HBO’s “Chernobyl,” has been answering questions from followers on Twitter about the effects of invading Chernobyl.
• Ankit Panda, a 2012 alumnus and Stanton senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. At Reuters, “Analysis: Russia’s missiles see mixed results in Ukraine war as world watches.” He has also shared analysis and insight through his Twitter account. 
• Catherine Rampell, a 2007 alumna and Washington Post columnist (op-ed), “Opinion: We might be on the verge of the greatest displacement of Europeans since World War II.”
• Brad Smith, a 1981, president and vice chair at Microsoft. At Microsoft On The Issues, “Digital technology and the war in Ukraine”
• Grant Wahl , a 1996 alumnus and sports journalist. On the “Futbol with Grant Wahl” podcast, he and sports commentator and producer Chris Wittyngham discuss the soccer world’s reaction to the Russian invasion.
• Ellen Wald, a 2004 alumna, and author and president of Transversal Consulting. On the Bloomberg Businessweek Podcast, “Russia Invasion of Ukraine Ignites Crisis” and at CNBC, “Oil prices jump 8% as Russia invades Ukraine; Brent tops $100 for first time since 2014.” And, at The Spokesman-Review, “Northwest Republicans call on Biden to boost U.S. oil and gas production, sanction Russian exports amid Ukraine crisis”

Staff

Calvin Chin, director of Counseling and Psychological Services, quoted in the Washington Post “On college campuses, invasion of Ukraine sparks protests, other acts of solidarity.”

Graduate student

• Omer Faruk Ilgezdi, graduate student in Near Eastern studies, posts a thread on the comparison between this invasion and 19th century imperialism and touches on Turkish foreign policy.