Thousands of migrants have been gathering at the border between Belarus and Poland in a stand-off that has escalated in recent weeks, threatening a humanitarian disaster on the edge of the EU and raising tensions among political foes across the region. Although people are suffering and the weather is worsening, this conflict has no clear end in sight. Recent events have created a political storm and kindled numerous questions:
How has the crisis escalated?
Who is benefitting from the situation? Who is to blame for that?

During the panel, our speakers will try to answer these questions, assess the conflict’s ethical, historical, and political dimensions, discuss the possible motivations of the parties involved by examining the start of the conflict between the EU and Belarus, and consider what the future might hold. We will be joined by:
1. Dr Michael Taylor – Senior Analyst on the Eastern Europe desk in Oxford Analytica
2. Prof Neil MacFarlane – Professor at DPIR (University of Oxford) specialising in Russian foreign policy and the regional dynamics of the former Soviet Union
3. Dr Dimitar Bechev – Regional Head for Central and Southeast Europe in Oxford Analytica, Lecturer at Oxford School of Global & Area Studies
4. Tadeusz Giczan – Editor-in-chief of the Belarusian opposition media service Nexta.