The Polish-Ukrainian borderland in the face of war: geopolitical significance, societal relations and economic linkages

WIF 09/28/22 Jay Ramasubramanyan

Polish-Ukrainian rapprochement is one of the most positive examples of transitions in bilateral relations in post-communist Europe. Political, social and economic linkages developed in the Polish-Ukrainian borderland over the years, however, are faced with new challenges now in the face of Russian aggression against Ukraine. This presentation examines the transformation of a peripheral border region located on the edge of the European Union into a significant geopolitical and geo-economic keystone linking Ukraine with its Western partners. It also presents and explains how the Polish-Ukrainian borderland adapts to the changing geopolitical conditions and responds to the challenges generated by war, such as an unprecedented influx of refugees, economic turbulence and a strengthening of the international military presence.

Speaker Name

Andrzej Jakubowski, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin, Poland; Cross Border Research Fellow, Border Policy Research Institute, Western Washington University

Date

Quarter

Fall

Speaker Bio

Andrzej Jakubowski is a short-term Cross Border Research Fellow in the Border Policy Research Institute at Western Washington University and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Social and Economic Geography of the Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin, Poland. His research focuses on economic, social and institutional distances in European borderlands and the development of cross-border functional areas. He teaches border studies, regional development and place-based policies. He is involved in the preparation of evidence-based policies working as an expert in the field of cross-border cooperation (i.e. Committee for Spatial Management and Regional Planning of Polish Academy of Sciences; Analytical Group for Multidisciplinary Territorial Analyses). Dr. Jakubowski holds a PhD degree in political science and a Master’s degree in international relations (Maria Curie-Skłodowska University).