MAKING RESEARCH AVAILABLE.

I'm pleased to report that the continued downsizing and consolidation at Northern Illinois University has not gutted the history department.

[Historian Andy] Bruno was shocked by the invasion and didn’t think that it was going to happen in the way that it did. Bruno was doubtful of America’s intelligence reports given the history of America’s lying such as the existence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and a drone attack that killed 10 people last year.

“I went to Russia (in August and October) and it seemed normal,” Bruno said. “It became very clear that something bad was going to happen when Russia started to say genocide was going on in Ukraine.”

There used to be a strong Russian and Soviet bench within history. The consolidation of the languages departments hasn't completely crowded the European languages out.

The history of Ukraine was delved into including the development of the Ukrainian ethnic group and its constant history of fighting for independence including rebels fighting against both Nazi Germany and the U.S.S.R. during WWII. Ukraine’s history was discussed to refute Putin’s claims that Russians and Ukrainians are the same.

“In the 19th century, Russia began to push that Belarusians and Ukrainians are brothers,” said Joanna Kot, a professor in the Department of World Languages and Cultures. “There’s no basis for that.”

The panel included students and faculty from that part of the world, and the university community includes Ukrainians and Russians.  So far, the sort of Russian-baiting foolishness we have called attention to elsewhere has not manifested itself on campus.  The fallout, though, will continue.

[Sociologist Laura] Heideman also made sure to let the attendees know how this war can affect the entire globe due to Ukraine producing a quarter of the world’s wheat and a significant part of the world’s corn crop. The places that will be hit hardest are low-income countries that depend on European imports.

It's not theoretical. To the extent that Russian nationals in the States have been using their credit cards to aid family members make purchases in Russia, the shutdown of bank transactions is going to have an effect.  Whether that will push Russians closer to their current government or make them skeptical remains to be seen.