Interview: Pini Miretski COVID-19, the State and Technology From the Perspective of Russia, Ukraine and other Post Soviet States, and Israel, for Upcoming Webinar "COVID-19 and International Affairs" (17 April 2020)

In the run up to the Webinar Conference Roundtable, Coronavirus and International Relations, a number of participants and contributors agreed to give short interviews around the conference themes and their own interventions. All Zoom interviews will be posted to the Coalition for Peace and Ethics You Tube Channel COVID-19 Conference Playlist. For our first interview, Flora Sapio spoke to the issues of COVID-19 in Italy and its wider implication. For our second interview, Larry Catá Backer spoke of COVID-19 and meaning making. Yuri Gonzalez was interviewed about COVID-19 and the developing situation in Cuba, which has been able to project medical assistance outward even as it faces the challenges of a developing state.  Alice Hong provided insight on COVID-19 from the perspective of a foreign student in the US. GAO Shan spoke to the way that the COVID-19 pandemic from a comparative context of Wuhan (where his family lives) and the US Midwest (where he now resides).  Keren Wang considered the ways in which each system framed the pandemic in ways that could be understood, noting how differences in those understandings could produce very different responses. And Jonathan Kiwana spoke to issues of COVID-19 and Africa, focusing on Uganda and the region.

For our next interview, Pini Miretski speaks to the state, technology and the response of Russia, Ukraine, Israel, Turkmenistan, and Belarus in meeting the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. He first considers the current responses among these states form a comparative perspectives, and then considers the role of technology in each nation's response. He ends by examining some positive aspects--the spike in volunteerism in these states, as well as the role of business and civil society. 

Dr. Miretski serves as Deputy Director, Planning and Program Development Division, JDC. Pini Miretski has over fifteen years of experience in an international humanitarian relief organization. In 2014, Pini received his PhD in International Law, which dealt with Transnational Corporations and Human Rights from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He has also undertaken concentrated training on nonprofit management at Columbia University, NY. Pini has several published articles on the role of non-State actors in international law and human rights. His academic interests focus on international legal theory and the role of nongovernmental actors in transnational law. At his work, Pini focuses on strategic planning and innovation at the field of humanitarian relief. 

 

The interview may be accessed HERE:   Pini Miretski interview

Conference Concept Note HERE

Registration (Free) HERE

Conference Website HERE.