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Recently, I took part in the international scientific conference ‘Europe of 21st century’, which took place in the Polish town of Slubice on the border with Frankfurt am Main. At the conference, I had the opportunity to give a presentation on conspiracy theories, which are an essential element of Russian aggression against Ukraine, and to present the work of our DisinfoChronicle project in this area. In particular, as part of this project, we sometimes mention how Russian propaganda has penetrated the international academic space. Well, I was able to see it with my own eyes.
During the opening of the conference, Professor Ryszard Zemba, affiliated with the University of Warsaw, which is considered to be the main university in Poland, quoted the statements of John Mearsheimer and Scott Ritter, whose words are broadcast on Russian propaganda platforms, including RT. In his opinion, Russia's aggression is justified because its security needs have not been met by the West. Ryszard Zemba also called the BRICS the main competitor of Western countries, saying that the ‘hegemony of the West’ must end, that Russia is not a security threat to Europe, and that Zelenskyy was forced to continue fighting and abandon the Istanbul talks. He also said that Ukrainian nationalism is understandable in the context of war but that, in fact, Russia's war against Ukraine is a proxy war started by the US and China to defend their interests. In addition, he actually called for the lifting of sanctions against Russia and said that the reason for the war was Ukraine's desire to join NATO and the spread of liberalism. He called the Orange Revolution and the Revolution of Dignity in Ukraine ‘colour revolutions’ created by the West and accused Ukraine of harassing Russian speakers.
Of course, the dissemination of Russian propaganda under the guise of scientific concepts is not new. However, it was quite surreal to hear such concentrated propaganda live. Especially when your speech actually pointed to all these theses.
In the Western political science space, there are more and more people who unfilteredly spread propagandistic anti-Ukrainian narratives, hiding them behind scientific analysis and concepts. However, it is one thing to announce the results of a study, even if you know that people will not like them, and to indicate why you have come to this conclusion. It is quite another to use scientific terms without any additional context and say that ‘they are not the ones who are talking propaganda, the West is’.
The word ‘realism’ has become a favourite among such ‘scholars’, and through this concept, which is spread by the propagandists' favourite Mirsheimer, they try to rationalise evil. The problem is that anyone who has really delved into the essence of international relations theory and political realism, in general, knows that realism is primarily a theory that states that every action of a state is rational and that a leader does not take it if it could harm the state. According to this theory, Russia should not have launched a full-scale invasion in the first place, as it was clear at the time that it would have caused Russia more damage. Instead, Russia's aggression against Ukraine is actually irrational, and Russia is, in theoretical terms, an irrational and destructive actor in international relations.
Ryszard Zemba's speech sparked a discussion among the conference participants. In particular, while some other scholars, including even migrants from Ukraine, supported the professor, several people spoke out against the narratives presented, and this is good news because this is why we need to be present at such events. We need to speak up at them and skilfully oppose such speeches. The Russian hydra of propaganda still has its tentacles in the scientific community, so it continues to look at Russia as a future partner and an integrated participant. This is not surprising, as scientific trips to Russia were commonplace before the full-scale invasion, even for representatives of Polish universities, and at many such events, you can still find Russian expats talking about how Russia is only a victim of the situation.
Interestingly, although Professor Ryszard Ziemba still has a page on the University of Warsaw's website, he is not currently a full-time lecturer but rather a supervisor of some projects. That is, simply writing to the university and asking them to remove him is not very effective - he is only an affiliated employee of the institution and is already retired. However, in backstage conversations, it was eventually acknowledged that it was a mistake to invite such people to security events, and while Zemba almost always talks about things that are synchronised with propaganda, this time, he crossed the red lines.
In the end, there was still more interest and support for Ukraine from the rest of the event. Perhaps these are the small victories that can help us get the big one we need.
Illustrative photo: Pixabay
