You are cordially invited to the eighth annual
Lady Blanka Rosenstiel Kosciuszko Chair Spring Symposium
Saturday, April 7th
1:00-6:30 PM
The Institute of World Politics
1521 16th Street NW
Washington, DC 20036
This event is sponsored by the Kosciuszko Chair of Polish Studies.
Speakers and Topics:
Introduction
Dr. Marek Chodakiewicz
Kosciuszko Chair of Polish Studies
1:00 PM
Russian Lobby in Belarus: Could Belarus be the Next after Ukraine?
Russia actively expands its presence in Belarus. Kremlin-sponsored digital media, cultural centers, think tanks, Cossacks paramilitary groupings aimed to form pro-Russian-lobby in Belarus and push anti-western and anti-Ukrainian message. How efficient are they and what is the effective policy to counter them?
Franak Viacorka
Editor of New Media Radio, Free Europe / Radio Liberty
1:10 PM
The Missing Polish Perspective in the Western Media
Much has been written about Poland since the last parliamentary elections, from forests, to pipelines and the judiciary, but surprisingly little is being published from Poland’s own perspective. Before the imbalance of voices can be addressed, we need to ponder what exactly is being heard in the West and what is being lost — and why.
Anna Wellisz
White House Writers Group
1:50 PM
The Polish Pavilion at the 1939 New York World’s Fair
A presentation on the contents, purpose and eventual fate of the Polish Pavilion at the 1939-40 “Building the World of Tomorrow” World’s Fair in New York City. Speaker is conducting a continuing search for documents and artifacts from the pavilion.
Peter J. Obst
Poles in America Foundation, Philadelphia
2:30 PM
Hors d’Oeuvres 3:10 – 3:30 PM
Wild Bill Donovan, the OSS and the Nuremberg Tribunal
In 1948, the US Counter Intelligence Corps investigated the Katyn Massacre of Polish POWs and collected several hundred pages of material. This coincided with the period when the last of the US prosecuted War Crimes’ Trials occurred – the one which dealt with the role of the Wehrmacht. However, the materials collected by the CIC have never been publicly discussed. The lecture shall analyze the novel material.
Krystyna Piorkowska
Independent Scholar
3:30 PM
Application of Historic WWII and Cold War Resistance Experience to Present Day Significance
The lecture discusses how the resistance experience, including the Polish resistance during WWII, is being put to use in contemporary conditions.
Dr. Otto Fiala
SOCEUR
4:10 PM
Coffee Break 4:50 – 4:55 PM
Back to the Future: Genocide Prevention in the Intermarium
As the land between the Black and Baltic Seas finds itself squeezed between a sea of Middle Eastern migrants flooding a culturally anemic Europe and a Putin-driven resurgence in populist Pan-Slavism, could the genocidal events of World War II be repeated?
Matt O’Brien
Federation for American Immigration Reform
4:55 PM
The Soviets and March 1968: Antisemitism and Antizionism
The lecture will focus on the international aspect of the Anti-Jewish campaign organized by the Polish United Workers’ Party (PZPR) in March 1968 in the Polish People’s Republic.
Dr. Marek Chodakiewicz
Kosciuszko Chair of Polish Studies
5:35 PM
IWP EVENTS POLICY: Attendance at all IWP events requires registration in advance. If you purchased a ticket for an IWP event, these tickets are non-refundable. IWP reserves the right to ask for a government-issued ID that matches your name on the confirmed attendee list. Please note that general seating for public events is on a first-come, first serve basis. The use of photographic and/or recording equipment is prohibited except by advanced permission from IWP, the event organizer, and the speaker(s). Please contact events@iwp.edu with any inquries. IWP reserves the right to prohibit photographic and/or recording equipment, either in advance of, immediately before, or during an event. The Institute’s dress code requires attire appropriate for a professional setting. This helps to ensure a positive learning environment and a climate conducive to respectful interaction. The Institute of World Politics is not responsible for lost or stolen property. IWP is a private organization; as such, all attendees are guests of the Institute. The purpose of IWP events is to promote academic discourse on a variety of issues related to the subjects taught at our school. Please note that the views expressed by our guest lecturers do not necessarily reflect the views of The Institute of World Politics.