![]() ![]() Eastern Europe was scared, and for good reason - they knew Putin had his eyes on them, Fata said. The ensuing flurry of working groups and meetings proved fruitless, and it was clear, as everyone walked out of that hall that day, that Europe was divided. “NATO expansion would not be tolerated, and Putin drew a line and said the worst thing that ever happened geopolitically was the collapse of the Soviet Union and the Russian Empire, and he was determined to restore Russian pride.” Then Putin focused his rant on European nations, saying they followed the US like sheep. Putin argued the US was illegally placing troops in Eastern Europe, and that the proposed missile defense system was poised to be used against Russia. Putin used the meeting as an opportunity to air his grievances, where Fata says the Russian leader ranted for 45 minutes, framing the United States as a superpower breaking all international norms and rules. These plans and policies were viewed as threats by Russian President Vladimir Putin. By 2007, NATO – the military alliance of European and North American nations formed in the aftermath of World War II – was expanding its membership and plans for a missile defense system were in the works for Eastern Europe. The annual conference is a meeting between world leaders discuss policies related to trans-Atlantic and European security. To better understand the war in Ukraine, Fata said, we must look back to the Munich Security Conference attended by world leaders in 2007, which the UConn alum attended as part of the US delegation. “A lot of what we need to do as citizens and students is figure out where do we go from here.” “Global politics are increasingly polarized, and with disinformation and misinformation running rampant when you put this all together, it is toxic for policymakers, for students, for citizens,” said Fata. Today at 1 p.m., a vigil for the Ukrainian people will be held in the Student Union Theatre, featuring music and speakers. Then, the Cold War had ended after the collapse of the Soviet Union, but now, with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, old fears and anxieties are resurfacing, with the war possibly setting stage for other conflicts or even a reimagining of democracy itself. In his remarks, Fata drew parallels between the politics of today and when he attended UConn in the early 1990s. Will democracies still be a model, or are they going to be replaced with something else? Will this moment determine whether the post-World War One and World War Two international institutions are still relevant to meet the challenges of the 21st century? We have to wait and see.” “Do you believe that this could be a historic moment for change in the world?” asked Daniel Fata ’94 (CLAS), former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Europe and NATO, who spoke to an audience at the Konover Auditorium on March 21. With Ukrainian surrender and Russian withdrawal both unlikely, the war grinding into its second month in Eastern Europe could end with a brokered settlement – or lead to an escalation involving other countries, according to a UConn alumnus who went on to become a high-ranking US foreign policy official. ![]()
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