The past exerts an influence on present politics, making history and memory crucial to explaining the behaviour of states on the international stage. It is also a crucial resource for the state’s identity and image, and thus mnemonic actors often (ab)use it by disseminating historical (dis-) information. On the one hand, only in recent years scholars have begun to integrate memory and the use of history into the academic discipline of international relations (IR). On the other hand, political actors have (ab)used and instrumentalised the past for a long time. Currently, this is especially visible in Russian foreign politics, which treats the past as one of many tools for justifying aggression against Ukraine and pursuing power in various places in the world.

The event took place at the Polish Institute of International Affairs and began with a 30-minute keynote lecture (in English). Afterwards, panellists (scholars and practitioners), moderated by Dr Bartosz Dziewanowski-Stefańczyk, talked about the weaponisation of history in Russian foreign politics.

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Keynote lecture: Securitizing Memory: Theorizing Defence, Identity, and the Past.

Speaker: Prof. Dovilė Budrytė (Georgia Gwinnett College) /

Moderation: Anna Maria Dyner, Head of the International Security Programme, PISM

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Expert panel: How to combat Russian disinformation in memory politics

Speakers: Kamil Basaj, INFO OPS Polska Foundation; H.E. Ambassador Tomasz Chłoń, Foreign Minister's plenipotentiary for countering international disinformation; Dr Sandra Dahlke, Max Weber Network Eastern Europe; Dr Cătălina Nastasiu, National University of Political Science and Public Administration; Dr Mykola Riabchuk, German Historical Institute (GHI) Warsaw

Moderation: dr Bartosz Dziewanowski-Stefańczyk, GHI Warsaw