Extension lecture " War in Ukraine and geopolitics of Central Asia"

An extension lecture was organized by the Centre of Central Asian Studies, University of Kashmir, in which Prof. (Rtd.) Ajay Kumar Patnaik, former Chairperson of Russian and Central Asian Studies, School of International Studies, JNU, Delhi, delivered a talk on “War in Ukraine and Geopolitics of Central Asia”. The session was inaugurated by Prof. Tabasum Firdous, Director of the Centre, who highlighted the contribution of guest speaker to the Centre of Central Asian Studies which primarily includes extension lectures, mentorship to scholars and recognition of the Centre at national and international levels. The lecture was attended by faculty members and scholars of the Centre and other institutions.

Prof. Patnaik, argued that there are “more important aspects of the Ukraine War that are not evident in the main stream media which generally centers around Russia’s offensive in Ukraine.”. But there is more to the story than these simplistic assumptions and judgements. Much of this seeming propaganda has to do with West’s anxiety about Russia being the most powerful nuke state at the moment. West has put much efforts to induce market economy in Russia, ever since the fall of the USSR, even before that. Despite this fall, West pumped much resources into consolidating and expanding NATO, especially in 1997 (Eastwards, towards the Russian border). The session ended with scholars and the faculty raising queries and doubts while interacting with the speaker.