War – Tatiana Serafin

Selected links to my writing and commentary on the Ukrainian Russian War

Peer Reviewed Journal, Orbis

Abstract

As Russia amassed thousands of troops and tanks on Ukraine’s border at the end of 2021 and the threat of nuclear war loomed large, Ukraine’s leadership ramped up a distinctly non-physical counter-offensive. President Volodymyr Zelensky and his tech savvy team focused on building a communications machine harnessing social media messaging, marketing savvy and celebrity to fight Russia digitally as well as directly on the battlefield. Never has a sitting president relied so heavily on various social apps to communicate both at home and abroad, and to build Ukraine’s brand. Whether or not this strategy is sustainable amidst a protracted war and short internet attention spans is yet to be seen, but Zelensky has made a case for marketing war that other leaders are sure to follow.

The Doorstep Podcast – Links to discussions with experts as the war has evolved

How Cryptocurrencies & NFTs May Change the Global World Order, with David Yermack

Is the U.S. Already at War? with Politico’s Nahal Toosi

Can Putin Be Stopped? with Atlantic Council’s Melinda Haring

Reporting in Al Jazeera

Is seizing the yachts & mansions of Russian oligarchs enough. No.

Will escalating sanctions shift Fortress Russia? It’s not a given

Commentary in Ink Stick Media

Russian Disinformation and the Erasure of History

Yesterday’s New York Times Week in Review Article: “The War – A Trillion Can Be Cheap” made a very insightful point about the fact that since we do not feel the war, we are divorced from it. Meanwhile it is draining our collective coffers at a startling rate.

Meanwhile I am currently reading, “The Balkan Trilogy,” by Olivia Manning which chronicles the lives of Harriet and Guy Pringle as they live through World War II, first in Romania, then escaping to Greece (which is where I am in the book). The semi-autobiographical tale makes you feel the privation wrought by war – the lack of food (as the Greeks fight the Italians all the best food goes to the soldiers, what is left is intestines), the lack of comforts like a coat for winter (Harriet, having had to flee Romania when the Nazis occcupied the country fled without her one winter coat, and wonders as the Greek winter sets in if she will have the money to buy another.)

How lucky are we today to not feel war as the NYT points out – to have the choice of meals and closets full of clothes. We should not forgot the toll previous wars wrought, and should be more thoughtful about staying on our current course.

Podcast Host, Professor, Writer

Tag: War

Ukraine Russia War Analysis and Commentary

Feeling War