July 11th 2022

The webinar, jointly organized by TCSS and the Faculty of Political Science and International Studies at the University of Warsaw (WNPiSM), explored different perspectives, new developments, and possible ramifications and responses that the war in Ukraine has instigated in Europe and the Indo-Pacific region.

As the Russian invasion in Ukraine marks a critical junction which will decide the future of international security and politics, the webinar presented a timely opportunity for exchanging views on the implications of the matter between Europe and Asia. The 8 distinguished panelists convincingly laid out the novel developments that the war in Ukraine has introduced to the international stage, the parallels between security issues in Europe and the Indo-Pacific, and lessons to be learned for the future.

After a warm welcome by the Director of TCSS, Prof. Fu-Kuo Liu, and Prof. Jakub Zajaczkowski from WNPiSM, who stressed the immense constructive potential that this cooperation holds for a better understanding of global issues, Major General (Ret.) Richard Hu initiated the session by posing the question whether we are witnessing a revolution in warfare. Stated by Dr. Dean Karalekas, he agreed that it is crucial to be aware of today’s information warfare and further emphasized the necessity of controlling the narrative.

Following the discussion, the second session focused on the far-reaching implications of the war for both Europe and the Indo-Pacific. Dr. A. D. Gnanagurunathan pointed out that multiple great powers are competing for global influence in a politically pluralistic environment, meanwhile several incidents such as food security compromised and oil security jeopardized are also taking place at the same time which make the world becoming more complex than before.

All participants concurred with the research that this war has extensive ramifications for the entirety of the international community, marking a general shift of global politics to a higher degree of interconnectedness. The Russian invasion has shown that security issues can no longer be viewed as merely local affairs, but as intertwined with and related to one’s own position. The wide range of perspective that this webinar brought together echoed this general theme.

The webinar concluded with a fruitful discussion, bringing in voices and perspectives from the audience, once again stressing the complexity and multidimensionality of the issue at hand. All parties look forward to continuing this constructive collaboration in the future.