Russia – Ukraine Crisis and the Fear of War: Rhetoric or Reality?

A TPF Panel Discussion on “Russia – Ukraine Crisis and the Fear of War: Rhetoric or Reality?” with distinguished panelists “Ambassador P S Raghavan” and “Professor Andrei Korobkov PhD” moderated by “Professor Vidya Nadkarni PhD”.

Concept Note:

As 2022 started with heightened tensions over the Ukrainian border, it remains to be seen whether a full blown-out war is in the cards for Russia, the United States and NATO. With Russia amassing troops along Ukraine’s border on all sides, Western countries continue to assess their options, ranging from providing military supplies and economic support to Ukraine, to heavy economic sanctions on Russia. NATO’s expansion in Eastern Europe represents a threat to Russia’s traditional sphere of influence and its own security architecture in Eastern Europe. Having annexed Crimea in 2014, Russia has continued to fuel the civil war in Eastern Ukraine. While repeatedly denying any intentions of invading Ukraine, Putin is playing the Ukraine card to get the US and NATO allies to accept his demands for security guarantees, essentially to demand NATO’s retreat from Eastern Europe. India, keeping in mind, the critical importance of the strategic partnership with the US and its need to maintain traditional strategic ties with Moscow, its priority remains to maintain a delicate balance. If the situation escalates, it could result in Russia and China coming closer together than ever, which will pose a huge challenge for India’s position on the global stage. The distinguished panelists will discuss the possibility of war in Eastern Europe and its implications for India.

About the Distinguished Panelists:

Ambassador P S Raghavan

Former Indian Ambassador to Moscow

Former Convenor of the National Security Advisory Board (NSAB)

Ambassador P S Raghavan was a former Chairman of the National Security Advisory Board of India from 2016-2020. As a former diplomat, he had diplomatic assignments in USSR, UK, Poland, South Africa and Vietnam, and was Ambassador to the Czech Republic, Ireland and Russia. He was Joint Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office (2000-2004), dealing with foreign affairs, nuclear energy, space, defence and national security. As Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs (2013-14), he steered India’s external economic relations and the Administration, Security and e-governance departments. He founded and headed the Development Partnership Administration, which coordinates India’s economic partnership with developing countries. He is a Member of the Academic Council of the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore and a Distinguished Fellow with the Vivekananda International Foundation, New Delhi.

Professor Andrei Korobkov PhD

Professor of Political Science and International Relations

Middle Tennessee State University, USA

Andrei Korobkov is a Professor of Political Science and International Relations at Middle Tennessee State University. In 2015-2018 he also served as the Director of the University’s Master of Arts in International Relations Graduate Program. Korobkov is also the Lead Researcher at the Institute of Socio-Political Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Visiting Researcher at MGIMO University under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Moscow. He specializes in geopolitics, nationalism and populism, interethnic relations and migration, including the brain drain. He is an expert at The Peninsula Foundation (India), the Valdai Club and the Russian International Affairs Council. Member of the editorial boards of the “Social Policy and Sociology”, “MGIMO Review of International Relations”, “Tractus Aevorum (Russia)”, “Moldoscopie” (Moldova) and “The Bulletin of Geography: The Socio-economic Series” (Poland) academic journals.

About the Moderator:

Professor Vidya Nadkarni PhD

Professor of Political Science,

University of San Diego, California, USA

Dr Vidya Nadkarni is currently a Professor of Political Science at the University of San Diego. She was awarded the PhD in Political Science from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver. She also holds a Masters degree in International Studies from Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi. Dr. Nadkarni’s research interests are in the areas of international relations and foreign policy, specifically on the foreign policies of resurgent (Russia) and aspiring (China, India) global powers. She has authored/co-authored multiple books. Some of them are Strategic Partnerships in Asia: Balancing without Alliances (2010), Strategic Emerging Powers in Comparative Perspective: The Political and Economic Rise of the BRIC Countries(2012) (Co-editor)in Asia: Balancing without Alliances(2010), Challenge and Change: Global Threats and the State in the 21st Century and The Foreign Policy of Russia: Changing Systems, Enduring Interests(Fifth Edition, 2014) (Co-author).

About the Chair:

Air Marshal M Matheswaran is an Indian Air Force veteran with 39 years of active service. He is the founder- President of The Peninsula Foundation. He is the former Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Staff responsible for Policy, Plans, and Force Development. The Air Marshal is a recipient of Presidential Awards – AVSM (Ati Vishisht Seva Medal) and VM (Vayu Sena Medal) and a Commendation by the Chief of Air Staff. He has a PhD from the University of Madras, Chennai, an alumni of the National Defence College, New Delhi and is a Senior Fellow in International and National Security from the Harvard Kennedy School.