Eurasia from the East, 2024

The MapMaker: Episode 7 - The Black Sea in (Poly)Crisis

Dr. Kelly O'Neill sits down with Anastasiia Pereverten and Markus Vaher to learn more about the cascading effects of the war waged in the Black Sea that is reshaping the way we think about regionalism and international law.

Eurasia from the East, 2024

As we approach the third year of the war in Ukraine, the ripples from the conflict go deeper and further into the fabric of international relations. This seminar brings together three scholars from Japan to analyze the war’s impact and meaning outside Eastern Europe. Their expertise includes not only Russia but the Middle East and Northeast Asia. Issues to be addressed include Japan’s policies, historical contexts, borderlands, energy security, and China’s perspective on the war.

Amb. Krol (Ret): America Discovers Central Asia, Central Asia Discovers America

Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State and U.S. Ambassador to Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan George Krol will discuss the development of relations between the United States and the Central Asian states from the inception of diplomatic relations in 1992 to the present time. Drawing on personal experiences and insights gained from his 36 years as a career diplomat, Krol will describe the American and Central Asian politics and personalities that have influenced relations from the collapse of the Soviet Union through the war in Afghanistan to the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine and China’s emergence as a dominant player in the region.

The MapMaker: Episode 6 - The Day Watermelons Almost Toppled the Russian Empire

Dr. Kelly O'Neill recounts the convoluted events of the so-called Watermelon Rebellion, a little-known episode in Russian imperial history full of intrigue, deception, espionage, personal animosities, and… watermelons.

The MapMaker: Episode 5 - Water, Memory, and the Steppe

REECA alumna Jackie Erlon-Baurjan talks with Kelly about water: about how it was conceptualized and managed on the Kazakh steppe in the 19th century, and about how it (or the lack of it) shaped her own family's traditions near the Altai Mountains.