What does the war in Ukraine tell us about competition between the so-called Great Powers? This interactive talk will tackle the question from two perspectives. First, the conventional interpretation of the Cold War as a period of history that ended when the Berlin Wall fell needs to be revised and extended. The tensions that gave rise to the Cold War pre-dated the end of World War II and can now be seen to have continued after 1989. Second, the notion of Great Power competition may be too narrow a framework in which to think about current political developments in Europe. Finally, the talk will try to avoid over-interpreting the war. When a country is fighting for its survival, as Ukraine is, little else matters.

Mattew Mpoke Bigg is an International Correspondent at the New York Times based in London. Since February, he has been one of the paper’s main journalists writing about the Ukraine war. Prior to that, he worked as a foreign correspondent for the Reuters news agency, reporting extensively from Africa, the United States and Indonesia. Lately, he’s been covering the merry-go-round of British politics. He was part of a team that won a U.S. Loeb Prize for investigative reporting. “Looking back, I feel grateful to have reported on wars and moments of political upheaval. Even during the most difficult times, such as the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide and the earthquake in Haiti, I was able to meet amazing people,” he said. Matthew has roots in Britain and Kenya, speaks French and is trying his best to learn Italian.