Life Through a New Lens
Last week, I had the pleasure of watching one of my oldest friends, Ian Kim, shine in the spotlight as he hosted a dialogue with Dr. English, an expert on Russia, the former USSR, and Eastern Europe at the University of Southern California.
First and foremost, I would like to congratulate Ian on a job incredibly well-done. He was extremely informed, very prepared, and adaptive to the responses Dr. English gave to his questions and the direction of the discussion. I know he worked very hard to execute this event, and he did a terrific job. So proud of you, Ian!
Now for Dr. English...
Dr. English was a remarkable speaker. Very enthusiastic and engaging, and very thoughtful and honest. Dr. English was very good at getting the audience to understand new perspectives on old issues. He discussed the Cold War, the terrible 90's in Russia, the Chechen Wars, the more recent Russian affairs, and more, all from the Russian or Eastern European perspective. I appreciate that he paused briefly before answering any of Ian's questions to make sure he was thoughtful and accurate about his responses.
One of my favorite parts about Dr. English was how much he humanized Russia for me. He explained when Russia has made silly mistakes, as well as when the United States have made silly mistakes. He explained why it was so important for Russia's dignity and for its other states that it keeps the Caucasus as part of Russia. He explained why Russia had never liked Hillary and why that hatred spawned not from the 2016 presidential race but from President Bill Clinton's time in office from 1993-2001. But my favorite thing Dr. English explained was why it was so important that Russia keep their nuclear arsenal and why they must keep it mobile. I had never thought about it before, but Russia is within reach of all of the other eight countries (the U.S., China, India, Pakistan, North Korea, France, the U.K., and India) that have or claim to have nuclear weapons. By comparison, very few countries actually have the nuclear power to reach the United States. Russia must keep their nuclear arsenal fit and ready, because they are right in the thick of it all. That would be like the Cuban Missile Crisis every day for the United States. I had never thought about the immense pressure that must put on the Russian military to always remain vigilant and the Russian diplomats to keep good relations with their neighboring countries.
Both Ian and Dr. English impressed me very much. I feel like I have a much better of not only Russia but Russia's motives, and I really appreciate the new perspective I gained on Russian affairs. I guess "Life Through a New Lens" is an appropriate blog title after all. :)
First and foremost, I would like to congratulate Ian on a job incredibly well-done. He was extremely informed, very prepared, and adaptive to the responses Dr. English gave to his questions and the direction of the discussion. I know he worked very hard to execute this event, and he did a terrific job. So proud of you, Ian!
Now for Dr. English...
Dr. English was a remarkable speaker. Very enthusiastic and engaging, and very thoughtful and honest. Dr. English was very good at getting the audience to understand new perspectives on old issues. He discussed the Cold War, the terrible 90's in Russia, the Chechen Wars, the more recent Russian affairs, and more, all from the Russian or Eastern European perspective. I appreciate that he paused briefly before answering any of Ian's questions to make sure he was thoughtful and accurate about his responses.
One of my favorite parts about Dr. English was how much he humanized Russia for me. He explained when Russia has made silly mistakes, as well as when the United States have made silly mistakes. He explained why it was so important for Russia's dignity and for its other states that it keeps the Caucasus as part of Russia. He explained why Russia had never liked Hillary and why that hatred spawned not from the 2016 presidential race but from President Bill Clinton's time in office from 1993-2001. But my favorite thing Dr. English explained was why it was so important that Russia keep their nuclear arsenal and why they must keep it mobile. I had never thought about it before, but Russia is within reach of all of the other eight countries (the U.S., China, India, Pakistan, North Korea, France, the U.K., and India) that have or claim to have nuclear weapons. By comparison, very few countries actually have the nuclear power to reach the United States. Russia must keep their nuclear arsenal fit and ready, because they are right in the thick of it all. That would be like the Cuban Missile Crisis every day for the United States. I had never thought about the immense pressure that must put on the Russian military to always remain vigilant and the Russian diplomats to keep good relations with their neighboring countries.
Both Ian and Dr. English impressed me very much. I feel like I have a much better of not only Russia but Russia's motives, and I really appreciate the new perspective I gained on Russian affairs. I guess "Life Through a New Lens" is an appropriate blog title after all. :)
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