Stephan believes that the “Other Russia” exists. «Panic over the devaluation of rouble rate changes people’s attitude towards the authorities», - he said. Stephan highlights that the strength of globalization and international trade is so significant that no one can live in isolation. «We underestimate possible opposition of people to propaganda», - he believes.
Also the experienced expert drew attention to usage of the history as a weapon. «There should be regular monitoring of presenting the history in order to avoid abuse of it as it is happening now in «Putin’s Russia», - the expert highlights.
Speaking about Ukraine and her perspectives, Stephan recalled Francis Fukuyama, according to whom the greatest way to progress lies in combination of three factors: a stable government, accountability and the rule of law. Spiegeleire says that the benchmark of smart combination of these factors is Denmark. He believes that Ukraine has to choose «a way to Denmark». He stressed that the historical prerequisites are available for that – close contacts between Slavs and Scandinavians as far back as the times of Kyivan Rus. «Ukraine has always been and is European», - Stephan says.
We remind you that Stephan de Spiegeleire is a Senior Defence Scientist at Hague Centre for Strategic Studies. He started his career as an expert on the USSR at RAND Corporation and Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik. After collapse of the Soviet Union, he focused on broader issues of the European security and defence at WEU's Institute for Security Studies, and then returned to RAND. The last ten years he works at Hague Centre for Strategic Studies. Recent events in Ukraine and Russia again made Stephen return to studying problems of the region.
FOR INFORMATION:
«Open World» Discussion Club is an educational project of Arseniy Yatsenyuk Open Ukraine Foundation for socially active young people. The purpose of the project is to educate new generation of responsible leaders. Each month the Foundation initiates lectures with renowned experts, political and public figures for discussing efficient solutions to social problems in Ukraine and the world.
