Former NATO commander, leading experts to discuss the Russo-Ukrainian War’s global effects at KU Security Conference

LAWRENCE —Philip Breedlove, a retired U.S. Air Force general who served as NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe during Russia’s initial invasion of Ukraine in 2014, will travel to Lawrence to deliver the keynote address for the 2024 KU Security Conference, “The Russo-Ukrainian War and Global Human Security.”

The on-campus event April 10-11 will bring together policymakers, military and intelligence officials, and scholars to discuss the war’s far-reaching effects and how the world can respond.

The event begins at 7 p.m. April 10 at the Dole Institute of Politics with Breedlove’s presentation on how the ongoing war is affecting a range of global issues, including migration, environmental security, food security and disinformation. Breedlove’s presentation and the ensuing discussion will be moderated by Vitaly Chernetsky, professor in the Department of Slavic, German & Eurasian Studies, with introductory remarks given by Barbara Bichelmeyer, KU provost and executive vice chancellor.

The event continues April 11 at the Jayhawk Welcome Center, with a day of panel presentations addressing these important issues in greater detail. Presenters include the following:

• Joshua Campbell, National Geospatial Intelligence Agency
• Glenn Corn, 34-year veteran of the U.S. intelligence and foreign affairs communities
• Matt Dimmick, a KU Center for Russian, East European & Eurasian Studies (CREES) alumnus and the former director for Russia and Eastern Europe on the U.S. National Security Council
• Mahir Ibrahimov, director of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College’s Cultural and Area Studies Office.

These experts from the military and intelligence community will be joined by invited scholars from across the United States and around the world, including Antonina Broyaka of Kansas State University; Volodymyr Dubovyk of the Center for European Policy Analysis and I. I. Mechnikov National University in Ukraine; Kristina Hook of Kennesaw State University; and Anton Shirikov of Columbia University.

Also taking part will be some of KU’s leading experts, including Rebecca Johnston (CREES), Shannon O’Lear (environmental studies, geography & atmospheric science), Kurt Preston (Graduate Military Programs), Kat Romanova (communication studies), and Erik Scott (CREES). The day’s events will begin with an introduction by Arash Mafi, executive dean of the KU College of Liberal Arts & Sciences.

More information about the event, including a complete schedule, can be found on the conference website.

Scott, director of KU CREES and of the conference organizers, described the event as both timely and important.

“Russia’s war against Ukraine is more than just a conflict between two states; the conflict has caused the largest refugee migration in Europe since World War II, disrupted global food supplies, damaged ecosystems, and reshaped alliances in the Middle East, Asia, and elsewhere,” he said. “Now is the time to study the war’s consequences and make plans to build a more peaceful and secure future for Ukraine and the international community.”

Other conference partners include the Intelligence Community Center for Academic Excellence (ICCAE), Graduate Military Programs and the Dole Institute of Politics.

“KU’s designation as an Intelligence Community Center of Academic Excellence has opened up doors to the U.S. intelligence community and has led to including leading practitioners in our annual security conference,” said Michael Denning, director for KU Graduate Military Programs.