Olía, gas og heimsvaldastefna

Sergey Radchenko, Rupert Murdoch prófessor við Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies í Bandaríkjunum, flytur fyrirlesturinn Power Play: the Ruthless Rise and Perilous Future of Russia’s Energy Empire í málstofu Sagnfræðistofnunar Háskóla Íslands í félags- og hagsögu. Fyrirlesturinn fer fram í stofu 304 í Árnagarði, þriðjudaginn 15. september kl. 16:00-17:00. Í fyrirlestrinum mun Sergey segja frá nýrri bók sinni sem fjallar um sögu og hagkerfi Sovétríkjanna og Rússlands út frá yfirráðum yfir olíu og gasi. Hvernig urðu olía og gas að áhrifaríkustu vopnum rússneskrar utanríkisstefnu? Og hvaða áhrif hafa yfirráð Rússa á þessu sviði haft á nágrannaríki þeirra, Evrópu og alþjóðleg öryggismál í heild sinni? Fyrirlesturinn varpar ljósi á samspil orku, valds og heimsvaldastefnu frá kalda stríðinu til okkar daga.

Um fyrirlesturinn 

The Kremlin lost the Cold War and yet recovered within a few years to menace its neighborhood. This comeback would have been unthinkable without oil and gas. But energy had also been the linchpin of Soviet empire-building.   

Power Play tells the story of how energy became a key to Russia’s success on the world stage. From the early days of the Cold War, energy permitted Soviets to bribe adversaries and keep allies docile. Once the Soviet economic model began showing signs of malaise, energy helped keep the USSR alive. It powered great factories that employed Soviet workers and warmed Soviet citizens in the depth of winter. It was sold for desperately needed hard currency that plugged holes in the Soviet budget. And, after the Soviet Union's collapse, it provided a lifeline that allowed Russia to bounce back to global relevance. 

Throughout, the Kremlin used energy for political leverage, but it was Vladimir Putin who became the real master of the game.  Dramatically reframing Soviet and post-Soviet history into a new, cohesive narrative, Power Play shows how Russia weaponized energy for imperial ends, and how the weapon misfired on Russia itself.     

Um fyrirlesarann

Sergey Radchenko is the Rupert Murdoch Professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. The author of four previous books, he lives in Washington, DC.