In the first of our series of Vienna Coffee House Conversations, Ivan Vejvoda speaks to Dimitar Bechev - IWM and Atlantic Council fellow, visiting researcher at Oxford and King's college and author of 2017's 'Rival Power: Russia's Influence in Southeast Europe' described in The Economist as 'The right author of the right book at the right time'. In an in-depth conversation, Vejvoda and Bechev discuss the 30 year Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the nature of frozen conflicts, the geopolitics of energy and influence; and the prospects for positive change in the future.
Dimitar Bechev is on twitter @DimitarBechev and his most recent book, Rival Power: Russia's Influence in Southeast Europe is available from Amazon UK here | Amazon DE here
Ivan Vejvoda is Head of the Europe's Futures program at IWM where, in cooperation with leading European organisations and think tanks IWM and ERSTE Foundation have joined forces to tackle some of the most crucial topics: nexus of borders and migration, deterioration in rule of law and democracy and European Union’s enlargement prospects.
The Institute for Human Sciences (IWM) is an independent institute for advanced study in the humanities and social sciences. Since its foundation in 1982, it has promoted intellectual exchange between East and West, between academia and society, and between a variety of disciplines and schools of thought. In this way, the IWM has become a vibrant center of intellectual life in Vienna.
The IWM is a community of scholars pursuing advanced research in the humanities and social sciences. For nearly four decades, the Institute has promoted intellectual exchange across disciplines, between academia and society, and among regions of the world. It hosts more than a hundred fellows each year, organizes public exchanges, and publishes books, articles, and digital fora.
you can find IWM's website at: