The history of the European Union is not so much much postwar as postimperial. The project is not one founded by a logic of peace after the Second World War, but rather a logic of exhaustion after defeat in imperial wars generally (beginning in 1945). While within the EU a familiar story of peace through economics continues to dominate, the error of the historical narrative has now revealed itself in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In Moscow and Kyiv, the stakes are clearer: from outside, it is understood that empire and integration are mutually exclusive alternatives; one will win, and the other will lose. This lecture will provide an alternative historical trajectory of the EU which reveals the stakes of the war in Ukraine for Europeans beyond Ukraine.

In-person event open to PUID holders only (ID will be verified at the door.) The live streamed event will begin a few minutes before the events start time. It can be accessed on mediacentrallive.princeton.edu.