April 20, 2023
2023-04-20T19:00:00
Chairs for 40. AV setup. PT
66 Leavitt Street
Hingham, MA 02043
Reference Desk: 781-741-1405 x1404
Henry Quinlan presents: The Ukraine War and Vladimir Putin
Thursday, April 20, 2023
This presentation starts with the causes of the war and examines the intended and unintended impacts of the war on Ukraine, Russia, and the rest of the world. Some of the notable impacts besides the death and destruction in Ukraine are the possibilities of millions of people slipping into poverty, a worldwide food shortage, and a worldwide recession. Both governments lack transparency, preventing the true consequences of the war being known. The role of the United States is questioned – is it fighting a third-party war? There are significant financial impacts far beyond Russia and Ukraine, and the best outcome is a negotiated peace. But these questions remain: Can the War be a distraction of a new world order being created? Is there a new “Ice Curtain” being erected by Russia? Is there a future for Ukraine? Will Russia remain on track to being the world’s leading food producer because of global warming? Is there a risk of Nuclear War? What's the role of China?
Between 1986 and 2018, Henry Quinlan made more than 60 trips to the former Soviet Union and Russia. In 1987, he signed an agreement with Vitaly Churkin, a young Soviet diplomat, to publish a book comparing life in Washington and Moscow. The book never happened, but Vitaly and Henry kept in contact, meeting many times over the years. Their last meeting was a dinner in August of 2016 when Vitaly was the Russian Ambassador to the UN and the senior diplomat at the UN. As a result of this dinner, Henry was interviewed by the FBI as part of the Russian interference investigation, as Vitaly was a next door neighbor to Putin at their dachas outside of Moscow. Henry lived in Moscow between 1988 and 1994, and traveled to most of the Soviet Republics and later independent Republics, witnessing history when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991.
No registration is required for this program.