133 S. 36th Street, Room 250 (Forum)
In-person and online: Zoom link sent to registered attendees.

A panel discussion with MAX BERGMANN, moderated by MITCHELL ORENSTEIN.

THE PRODUCTION OF FOSSIL FUELS is deeply intertwined not only with the economic interests of large global corporations, but also with the political regimes of powerful autocrats. In this conversation, security expert MAX BERGMANN (Center for Strategic and International Studies) focuses on the case of Vladimir Putin and his attempts to wield fossil fuels as a strategic weapon to undermine opposition to the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. As Europe actively seeks to transition to renewable energy, but at the same time remains economically dependent on fossil fuels, has Putin’s strategy succeeded or backfired? More generally, do threats to global energy and food security provide leverage for autocrats, or do they instead energize transformative policies in the world’s democracies? Moderated by MITCHELL ORENSTEIN (Penn Russian and East European Studies).