As with other national or international issues in the past, the Spy is always looking for experts that live and work on the Eastern Shore to provide a more local perspective on these sometimes challenging topics.
That is certainly the case with the current war in Ukraine now being waged by the Russian Federation. With today marking the 15th day of the crisis, we have turned to Washington College history professor Clayton Black to gain his perceptive on one of the most serious conflicts on the 21st Century.
Beyond his substantial work as a Russian scholar in the academic world, Professor Black has contributed opinion pieces in such publications as the New York Times and other journals on Russian popular culture, military matters, literature, and Soviet cinema.
The Spy talked to Professor Black by Zoom late last week about the conflict, the core differences between Russia and Ukraine, and the use of the news media and disinformation as the Federation continues to seek control of Ukraine.
Aniko Judith Schurter says
We have a serious censorship problem here too…maybe not as extreme. But pretty close. Dissinformation….should be judged by an individual not by the media. People are not stupid. Debating issues let us have a better and deeper perspective on issues. BUT.. when the media keeps repeating the same thing enough times…over and over…people stop thinking deeply and they don’t want to be disagreeable.
Strongly agree with your views on what is happening there in Ukraine. I believe it was almost more of a civil war going on in Ukraine that other countries got drug into. I wish they would have worked together and negotiated a solution rather then have come to this present situation.
You just can’t talk censorship about what is happening in Russia when it’s happening here!
Clayton Black says
A quick correction to my comments:
1. The independent news agency Meduza is stationed now in Latvia, not Lithuania, as I said.
2. I identified the territory in Ukraine that Putin would like to bring under the Russian Federation as “Novorossiisk.” It should be Novorossiia. The former term refers to a town in Russia.
3. Russians and Ukrainians do have some distinct cultural traditions. Although the two peoples are very similar and share a common history in many respects, I overstated when I suggested that the only differences were linguistic.
Eric Bishop says
Thank you for sharing his perspective on the Ukrainian war. Without regard for its state information is presented by mass media and many other sources to the public. Such information does then sway opinion to a major degree. The signifigant knowledge of an academic scholar like Dr. Black is that which many more should have access. I greatly appreciate that you made this available.