The members of the International Relations and Social Sciences Department research club are starting their work
As always, already in September – the very beginning of the academic year – members of the research and educational clubs of the Department of International Relations and Social Sciences, “Information and Politics” and “Diplomacy and Geopolitics”, gather for their creative sessions. This year, the first to meet, already on the second day of studies, were the members of the latter club. On this very day, 80 years ago, the Second World War (WWII) ended victoriously – including for our country – aboard the American battleship Missouri. We must stress that every sixth Ukrainian perished in that war. That is why, on this day of solemn remembrance with tears in our eyes, it was especially important to once again analyze the most pressing aspects of the causes of the war, the course of events, the world-historical significance of its conclusion, its main consequences, and its echoes in today’s globalized and, as 80 years ago, restless world.
During nearly an hour and a half of discussion, students succeeded in analyzing WWII as a phenomenon in human history: the formation of the coalitions of warring states, the theaters of military operations, the preconditions of the war in Europe and Asia, the different stages of the war, and the diplomacy of both military-political alliances throughout each of these stages. The conversation also addressed the war’s conclusion – the military capitulation of the German armed forces in Europe and of Japan in the Pacific.
The participants did not overlook a thorough examination of the outcomes of WWII and their significance for today’s geopolitics. Undoubtedly, one of the main agenda items of this club meeting was a detailed look at the role of our country in WWII and the reflection of its contribution to the common altar of the victorious states – a factor that shapes the authority and importance of Ukraine in the global family of nations today, as our country once again defends peace and global security while withstanding the bloody assault of the Kremlin’s executioners.
Summing up the results of the first scientific meeting of the semester, the academic supervisor of the club, Associate Professor S. Asaturov, emphasized the high scholarly approach of the speakers and their opponents, their ability to defend their views on various issues with tolerance yet principled conviction. He also noted the attention paid by bachelor students, and wished everyone a successful start and an engaging semester of study, which was inaugurated by this discussion on the occasion of the glorious 80th anniversary.
At the end, the participants watched the documentary “That Very General Derevyanko”, dedicated to the memory of our compatriot, Lieutenant General of the Red Army K. M. Derevyanko, whose signature, on behalf of the Soviet Supreme Command, under the Act of Capitulation of militarist Japan aboard the battleship Missouri, placed the victorious full stop to the most brutal war in human history.
Serhii Asaturov,
Academic Supervisor of the Club,
Associate Professor of the Department of International Relations and Social Sciences