Safeguarding Ukraine's Cultural Heritage from Russia's War: A Discussion with the Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative

Thursday, Nov. 7 // 10–11:30 am (ET)

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths and injuries and unleashed mass devastation of the Ukrainian landscape. It has not only placed the lives of Ukrainian people at risk but has also threatened the cultural heritage that forms the basis of Ukrainian identity. The threat to Ukrainian cultural heritage is not incidental, but part of a Russian campaign to eliminate traces of Ukrainian history and assert the legitimacy of its territorial conquests.

This coordinated assault on Ukrainian identity has made protecting cultural heritage an essential part of Ukraine’s war effort. The Smithsonian Institute’s Cultural Rescue Initiative has played an important role in bolstering Ukraine’s capacity to do that. This joint event with the Smithsonian Institute will discuss the Cultural Rescue Initiative's effort to monitor the threat posed to Ukraine's cultural heritage, and the implications for both Ukraine and its allies.

STILL TO Come THIS WEEK

America's Cold Warrior: Paul Nitze and National Security from Roosevelt to Reagan

Monday, Nov. 4 // 4–5:30 pm (ET)

In America's Cold Warrior, James Graham Wilson traces Paul Nitze's career path in national security after World War II, a time when many of his mentors and peers returned to civilian life. Serving in eight presidential administrations, Nitze commanded White House attention even when he was out of government, especially with his withering criticism of Jimmy Carter during Carter's presidency. While Nitze is perhaps best known for leading the formulation of NSC-68, which Harry Truman signed in 1950, Wilson contends that Nitze's most significant contribution to American peace and security came in the painstaking work done in the 1980s to negotiate successful treaties with the Soviets to reduce nuclear weapons while simultaneously deflecting skeptics surrounding Ronald Reagan. America's Cold Warrior connects Nitze's career and concerns about strategic vulnerability to the post-9/11 era and the challenges of the 2020s, where the United States finds itself locked in geopolitical competition with the People's Republic of China and Russia.

The Meskhetian/Ahiska Turks and Other Unrecognized Minorities in Russia's War

Wednesday, Nov. 6 // 3:30–4:30 pm (ET)

2024 marks three major commemorations for the Meskhetian/Ahiska Turks. It has been 80 years since they were deported from Southern Georgia by Joseph Stalin; 35 years since their forced expulsion from Uzbekistan; and 20 years since international cooperation gave them a new home in the United States. For the Meskhetian/Ahiska Turks that have remained in Russia, however, like many other minority groups, Russia’s war against Ukraine has once again brought uncertainty into their lives.

This panel discussion will feature former Title VIII Summer Research Scholar Richard Arnold, human rights lawyer Steven Swerdlow, and expert on Russian national minorities Maria Vyushkova. They will discuss the history of the Meskhetian/Ahiska Turks, the diplomacy that led to their resettlement in the United States, and the ways in which Russia’s war in Ukraine is impacting minority groups in Russia.