Security conference to address crises in Ukraine, Middle East

LAWRENCE — The volatile and sometimes violent situations in Ukraine and the Middle East are topics of a conference next week at the University of Kansas.

The University of Kansas Office of Graduate Military Studies, Center for Global and International Studies (CGIS) and Center for Russian, East European & Eurasian Studies (CREES) will host a half-day Security Conference on March 2. Global Hotspots: Crises in Ukraine and the Middle East will take place 1-4 p.m. in the Forum at Marvin Hall, 1-4 p.m.

Speakers at the event include Roger McDermott, Senior Fellow, Jamestown Foundation’s Eurasia Program; Zhulduz Baizakova, Fulbright Scholar, Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies, National Defense University; Jacob Kipp, Russian, East European & Eurasian Studies; Mike Wuthrich, Global & International Studies; Charles Bartles, analyst, and Matthew Stein, analyst. The afternoon will feature two panels, the first focused on the conflict in Ukraine and the second on ISIS and linkages with Central Asia.

CREES Acting Director Eve Levin: “CREES and CGIS, working together with the Office of Graduate Military Studies, have for some years now facilitated an annual conference where KU faculty and students come together with leaders in the military community to examine issues of national importance,” said Eve Levin, CREES acting director. “In the past, these conferences have focused on issues of migration, shifts in global power and the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, among other issues. This year, we are experimenting with reducing the event to a half-day program and focusing on just two areas: hotspots in the world right now.”

The conference is free and open to the public, and registration is not required. Members of the military community at KU and Fort Leavenworth are encouraged to attend to help bring together faculty, students and military leaders to discuss issues of national security.