Skip navigation
LMC 2022

Tempus Fugit – Time Flees

Queen, The Show Must Go On [1991]

This year, 2022, should have been a time to celebrate the anniversary of the collapse of the Soviet Union, which finally dissolved on 26 December 1991. But in Europe, not all the folds and layers produced by this tectonic shift were the ones expected.

Speakers

Daniel_Fried
Daniel Fried

Weiser Family Distinguished Fellow at the Atlantic Council

Kaja Kallas

Prime Minister of Estonia

Ivan Krastev

Chairman, Centre for Liberal Strategies

Roberta Metsola

President of the European Parliament

Olha Stefanishyna

(Participating virtually) Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine

Moderator

Steven Erlanger

Chief Diplomatic Correspondent for Europe at The New York Times

Estonia, and other eastern European states, made good use of this window of opportunity to join the EU and NATO, spreading democracy and the rule of law. This path seemed obvious even if the opening of the window may have seemed unlikely. Elsewhere, however, angst, anger and a growing revanchism were either not sufficiently accounted for or, worse, were not noticed at all. And so, Europe’s situation today instead recalls two other historical anniversaries. One rather grim: the centennial on 30 December, of the creation of the USSR. The other, still farther back in time, the birth one thousand years ago in Kyiv of Kievskaja Rus. Europe’s future may be determined in the same place.

  • Has the tide of Europe’s post-Cold War development turned?
  • What will be the aftermath of Russia’s war in Ukraine for the international order?
  • What role has the US to play in this process?
  • Could this be a once in a lifetime occasion for Ukrainians when hope and history rhyme?
  • Time flees, but can we grasp it and enjoy the possibilities it offers?
  • And will we be able to also show strategic patience when necessary?

Related articles