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X-WR-CALNAME:To Russia with Love: Myanmar’s Turn to Russia and Its Conseq
 uences
X-WR-TIMEZONE:Eastern Time (US & Canada)
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260912T072919Z
UID:tag:localist.com\,2008:EventInstance_53550164421347
DTSTART:20260917T161500Z
DTEND:20260917T173000Z
DESCRIPTION:Gatty Lecture Series\n\nJoin us for a talk by Michał Lubina\, 
 Associate Professor at the South and Southeast Asia Unit\, Institute of Mi
 ddle and Far East\, Jagiellonian University (JU)\, Kraków\, Poland\n\nThi
 s Gatty Lecture will take place at the Kahin Center\, 640 Stewart Ave. Lun
 ch will be served. For questions\, contact seap@cornell.edu.\n\nAbstract\n
 \nMoscow-Naypyitaw rapprochement represents one of the major consequences 
 of the 2021 Myanmar coup and one of the unexpected outcomes of the Ukraine
  war. Until then\, Russia-Myanmar relations remained good but limited (con
 fined to arms trade\, military training\, diplomatic support\, and nuclear
  dreaming). The breakthrough came with the fourth military coup in Myanmar
 \, followed by the Russia’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine.  \n\n
 After February 2021\, the isolated SAC turned to Moscow\, and the Kremlin 
 emerged as the primary international supporter of the Burmese military jun
 ta\, acting as its political patron\, with General Min Aung Hlaing now pil
 grimaging to Russia (Moscow\, Kazan and Vladivostok\, and other places) al
 most on a routine basis. While Russia was initially still somewhat wary\, 
 Moscow’s global (semi-)isolation after the outbreak of the full-scale Uk
 raine war shifted this dynamic\, elevating Myanmar's importance in Russian
  foreign policy calculations as well.  Thus\, a mutually convenient asymme
 tric relationship emerged\, and Russia-Myanmar relations have reached an u
 nprecedented level of closeness\, unparalleled in their bilateral history.
  This is best illustrated by the personal chemistry between their leaders\
 , even if expressed is such extraordinary ways as in March 2025\, when Min
  Aung Hlaing compared Vladimir Putin to a rat king which was meant to be a
 n unusual way to emphasize the political friendship with the Russian leade
 r.  \n\nThe unexpected and unusual combination of Russia and Myanmar caugh
 t observers by surprise. Why have these two countries\, so geographically 
 and culturally distant\, with limited past contacts\, became so close? Wha
 t triggered their rapprochement? And what does it matter – to both Mosco
 w and Naypyidaw\, to the region\, and even to the world? What are the cons
 equences of this emerging partnership? And where is China in all this? Wha
 t exact role does Beijing  play in this unexpected Naypyidaw-Moscow rappro
 chement?  \n\nThis talk will try to answer these questions. \n\nAbout the 
 Speaker\n\nMichał Lubina is an associate professor at the Jagiellonian Un
 iversity\, Kraków\, Poland. He is the author of eleven books\, including 
 seven on Myanmar\, and three on Russia-China relations. His most important
  English-language books are “A Political Biography of Aung San Suu Kyi: 
 A Hybrid Politician” (Routledge\, 2020) and “The Moral Democracy” (2
 019)\, translated into Burmese and published in Yangon in 2021.
GEO:42.44799;-76.491318
LOCATION:Kahin Center
SUMMARY:To Russia with Love: Myanmar’s Turn to Russia and Its Consequence
 s
URL;VALUE=URI:https://events.cornell.edu/event/to-russia-with-love-myanmars
 -turn-to-russia-and-its-consequences
CATEGORIES:Lecture
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