Worlds Apart

Preventing the unpreventable? Robert Lawrence Kuhn, renowned China expert & bestselling author

Live and let live is one of the oldest moral imperatives, and it’s increasingly being called into question by modern-day geopolitics. The United States, in its doctrinal documents, makes it no secret that it sees the success of others, particularly China but also Russia, as a direct threat to itself. If my gain is defined as your loss, is peaceful coexistence even possible? To discuss this, Oksana is joined by Robert Lawrence Kuhn, renowned China expert and bestselling author.

One and only no more? Dmitry Suslov, Deputy Director at the Centre for Comprehensive European and Int'l Studies at HSE

Playing hard to get has long been an underlying rationale of US foreign policy – it’s no secret that the Americans view themselves as an indispensable nation, with which dialogue is both an imperative and a dispensed grace to any other nation. Does it apply to Russia? Should Moscow continue walking alongside Washington while it chews its gum, occasionally popping it in Russia’s face? To discuss this, Oksana is joined by Dmitry Suslov, Deputy Director at the Centre for Comprehensive European and Intl. Studies at Higher School of Economics.

Hot line? Evgeny Buzhinsky, chairman of the executive board at the PIR Center

Hostilities in eastern Ukraine have more than once resulted in a call to arms for Kiev’s Western allies, a call that has, time and again, raised the threat of a direct confrontation between Russia and the United States. But this past week, as the tensions in eastern Ukraine were heating up, something unexpected happened – President Biden picked up the phone and placed an actual call to Vladimir Putin. What’s on the line here? To discuss this, Oksana is joined by Evgeny Buzhinsky, a retired lieutenant-general of the Russian Army and chairman of the executive board at the PIR Center.

Science quarantined? Martin Kulldorff, Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School

More than a year into the global pandemic, Covid-19 still presents scientists and doctors with many puzzles. However, in the public domain, it’s surrounded by just as many dogmas, the challenging of which can prompt stricter isolation than the virus itself. Given how politicized the issue of Covid-19 has become, is there still room for genuine scientific discourse? To discuss this, Oksana is joined by Martin Kulldorff, Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.

Vote by rote? Yossi Mekelberg, senior consulting research fellow at Chatham House

There is a saying in Russia that whenever two Jews come together, there are at least three opinions. This was fully borne out by the latest Israeli election, which, after months of electioneering, resulted in yet another stalemate, with 13 parties now angling to form a new government. What does this new round of political uncertainty mean for the country and for the region as a whole?

Moral exhibitionism? Alexander Lukin, head of the Department of International Relations at HSE

Having promised to use diplomacy as a tool of first resort and engage in substantive dialogue with both Russia and China, the new US administration is off to a rocky start. President Biden casually calling his Russian counterpart a killer, followed by a botched attempt at preaching democracy to a Chinese delegation in Alaska, vividly demonstrates the vulnerabilities of this approach. Can diplomacy achieve anything without being diplomatic? To discuss this, Oksana is joined by Alexander Lukin, head of the Department of International Relations at HSE University.