1/10: While not in favor of ad hominem attacks, I am not sure what collective letters such as the below are supposed to accomplish. We are in a contentious field where emotions run high, critique is abundant, and one needs a thick skin... @WarOnTheRocks warontherocks.com/2021/05/open-l…
2/10: Thankfully, I was not asked to sign this letter - a hypothetical request that would have been difficult to respond to. Personal attacks are unfortunate...
3/10: But solidarity statements such as the above are still surprising - as long as the defendant has not been taken to court, expelled from her/his country of service, put in jail, or suffered some other physical misfortune.
4/10: A member of the German #Bundestag has, in 2014, publicly labeled me an "apologist of #fascism" for being insufficiently critical of Ukrainian #nationalism...
5/10: In contrast, a prominent colleague has publicly asked my former institute's director to fire me for being excessively critical of Ukrainian nationalism...
6/10: That is not counting dozens of accusations of alleged russo- or ukrainophobia, sexual harassment, manipulation, pedophilia, spying and whatnot, by various critics, followers and objects of my research. I may have missed possible appointments because of such campaigns...
7/10: One contract was cut short because of my, within the German context, far too partisan position on #Ukraine. However, it would be embarrassing, if somebody collected some list of signatures in my support because of such instances.
8/10: As long as I am not prosecuted, arrested, deported etc., I would ask friends and colleagues to refrain from composing or signing any letters such as the above - even if they think that a verbal attack, non-appointment, cutting of funds, or firing from a job is unjustified.
9/10: Nobody is happy about ad hominem attacks and even less so about some, therefore, missed professional advancement or research funding. Yet, these mishaps are part of the business we are in, and the heat one should be prepared to take.
10/10: Instead of defending academic freedom, polarizing collective statements, such as the above, in support of colleagues (not seriously threatened) may do more harm to open discourse than the various injustices that many of us experience in our professional life now and then.

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More from @UmlandAndreas

14 May
1/5: Ausgewogene, analytische, detailreiche und umsichtige Präsentation von @HauterJakob @UCLSSEESEvents basierend auf seinem Sammelband beim @ibidem11-Verlag in der Buchreihe #SPPS vertrieben von @ColumbiaUP und gelistet in @Scopus und @webofscience.
2/5: Ergänzung: Bereits während & unmittelbar nach der Euromaidanrevolution Anfang 2014 haben damals noch nichtmilitärische, jedoch bereits imperialistische russische oder aus Moskau angeleitete Akteure in insbesondere der ostukrainischen Innenpolitik eine Rolle gespielt.
3/5: Ein Beleg hierfür sind die sog. Glasjew-Bänder, d.h. abgefangene Telefongespräche zwischen dem Putinberater Sergej Glasjew (ein Angestellter der russischen Präsidialadministration) und prorussischen Akteuren in Odessa, Saporishja & Charkiw Ende Februar bzw. Anfang März 2014.
Read 6 tweets
9 May
1/3: Reading @DmitriTrenin @carnegieRu, the world should be grateful for the restrained and measured #Putin leadership that manages somehow to keep a cool head while again being provoked by emotional and risk-prone politicians in its neighborhood. carnegie.ru/commentary/843…
2/3 re #DmitriTrenin: #Russia is a singularly unlucky country surrounded by immature para-nations that cannot stop electing dilletante or/and cynical leaders who are constantly testing Moscow's admirable patience. @Konflikt_Sicher @TerekMedia @4freerussia_org @LiberaleModerne
3/3 re #Trenin @CarnegieEndow: The @NobelPrize for #VladimirPutin may not be, after all, such a bad idea -- though some sarcastic #Russophobes have quipped that it should be in the field of #chemistry rather than #peace. @RusVerstehen @russia_matters @dw_russian @DarthPutinKGB
Read 4 tweets
6 May
1/3 Mein Kommentar: Diese Verbindung scheint nur natürlich: #Russland ist unter #Putin in so mancher Hinsicht das, was sich die #AfD und andere #Rechtsradikale für die Zukunft Deutschlands vorstellen. welt.de/politik/deutsc…
2/3: Was jedoch erstaunlich ist, dass auch viele sich selbst als "#links", "#sozialistisch" oder "#sozialdemokratisch" verstehende europäische Politiker und Bürger Putins #Russland mit positivem Interesse, Empathie oder gar #Sympathie begegnen. #Russlandversteher #Putinversteher
Read 4 tweets
4 May
1/3: Es sollte auch für Westeuropäer von Interesse sein, dass dies in der Nähe des grössten Atomkraftwerks Europas in Saporishja passiert. Aber womöglich wird es ja keine EU-Visaerleichterungen für ukrainische Nuklearpartikel im Schengenraum geben... nzz.ch/international/…
2/3: Interessieren würde mich auch, welche Pläne die #EU für ggf. Millionen und Abermillionen ukrainischer #Flüchtlinge hat, welche sich auf den Weg u.a. nach #Deutschland machen werden, sollte es #Russland gelingen, die #Ukraine in den #Staatskollaps zu treiben.
3/3: Unten können sich ja schon mal diejenigen melden, die in diesem Fall ukrainische Flüchtlinge bei sich Zuhause aufzunehmen bereit sind. Vielleicht gleich mit Adresse und Bettenzahl... 😉
Read 4 tweets
18 Apr
1/7: #PutinVerstehen: Das Verhalten von #WladimirPutin war 2008 in #Georgien und 2014 in der #Ukraine machtpolitisch rational - und ist es heute ebenso. @RusVerstehen @Russland_Forum @Boell_Russia @ostexperte @DGO_Berlin @junge_dgo @dw_russian @UISweden @FensterNachO @dekoder_org
2/7: Im Lichte der niedrigen ökonomischen Kosten und hohen innenpolitischen Gewinne einer gewaltsamen #Eskalation, wären ungetätigte #Interventionen in #Südossetien sowie #Abchasien 2008 und auf der #Krim sowie im #Donezbecken 2014 realpolitische Unterlassungssünden gewesen.
3/7: Angesichts der sinkenden Popularität Putins aufgrund (in der offiziellen Statistik Russlands beschönigter) humanitärer, sozialer und ökonomischer Folgen der #Coronakrise sowie der Verwandlung #Nawalny|s in einen politischen #Märtyrer, hat sich seit 2020 der Einsatz erhöht.
Read 8 tweets
16 Apr
1/7: The most frustrating aspect of the #Kremlin's current escalation vis-a-vis #Ukraine is the rationality of its action and simplicity of the situation: The #EuropeanUnion has the economic means to stop #Putin.
2/7: #Russia's economy and budget are dependent on income from Russian energy exports to the EU. However, the EU will not use this leverage - even though the collective costs of doing so may not be high any more, in view of #LNG, renewables, contingency plans etc.
3/7: When the EU did impose some moderately serious sanctions in 2014, that was not a response to #Russia's aggression against #Ukraine. It was a punishment for Moscow's killing of more than 200 EU citizens on the #MH17 flight sho by a Russian missile over Ukraine, in July 2014.
Read 10 tweets

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