Part 8/11:
As the conversation segues into the situation in Ukraine, Professor Payne highlights the war's paradoxical potential to engender a robust national consciousness among Ukrainians. Drawing parallels with American history, she suggests that wartime struggles can unify disparate regional identities into a strong sense of national identity, which Ukraine is currently experiencing.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has emerged as a significant figure amid this conflict, representing a unified front against Russian aggression. The struggle for Ukrainian sovereignty symbolizes broader themes of national identity, resilience, and democratic values, and underscores the stakes involved in this war for not just Ukraine, but the entirety of Europe and the West.