It’s not easy to talk about the war, as it implicates my family – deeply – in a variety of dimensions. But I was grateful that Benedikt Korf (Political Geography, UZH) invited me to talk to his bachelor students about this. It turned into an open lecture and a full house, which was very nice to see, despite the circumstances. It was an honor, truly. And it felt good to be able to speak about it in a professional sense, to try and make sense of this horror at something of a remove.

So – this is a 40 minute lecture and I know that’s quite a bit longer than your average TikTok. But I think it’s important and I hope you enjoy it all the same. And, much more importantly, I hope that soon we can look back at this war from the vantage point of a free, democratic, and prosperous Ukraine, and lectures like this will seem quaint and historical.