Ross Miller, associate professor of political science, will give the talk, "Bargaining for War: Explaining the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Gaza Wars," at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 10 in the Jackie Gaughan Multicultural Center's Ubuntu Room (Room 202).
The event is free and open to the public and will be livestreamed on Zoom. Register for the link. His talk opens this academic year's CAS Inquire series, "War, Peace, and Reconciliation."
"Why do wars occur?" Miller asks in the summary of his talk, and "although there are many explanations available, this talk applies insights from the bargaining model of war to explain the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Gaza wars. Even though these conflicts involve very different contexts, actors and issues, they share the common characteristic that both sides chose violence to resolve their differences."
Four additional talks scheduled throughout the academic year will come from faculty members in biological sciences, classics and religious studies, and history, culminating in a panel discussion with the speakers in March 2025.
Students in the CAS Inquire program connect with college thought leaders and other inquisitive students to discuss ideas, using a college-wide series of public lectures as a focal point. The series launched in September of 2019, and themes have included the rise of the machines, finding common ground, and pain and pleasure. During the three-year program, CAS Inquire students take specialized courses, help with facilitating the program, and enjoy additional benefits. They can apply, or be nominated by faculty, for the program as freshmen.
