Instant Issues Discussion on Poland, Ukraine Slated for Feb. 12

SPRINGFIELD — The World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts and the Polish Center of Discovery and Learning will present an Instant Issues lunchtime discussion featuring Joshua Spero, special assistant to the president and professor of Political Science and International Relations at Fitchburg State University, on “How Poland and Ukraine Anchor Europe’s Defense.” The program will take place on Thursday, Feb. 12 from noon to 1 p.m. at 1350 Main St., ninth-floor gallery, in downtown Springfield.

Spero focuses on international security, particularly European and Eurasian security, and government decision making. Before transitioning to academia, he served as senior civilian strategic planner for the Joint Chiefs of Staff’s J-5 Strategic Plans and Policy Directorate in the Europe-NATO Division (1994-2000), national security analyst at the Institute for National Strategic Studies (1990-94), and deputy assistant for Europe and the USSR at the Office of the Secretary of Defense (1988-90). From 1988 to 1994, he also served as the U.S. Army’s Ft. Leavenworth-based Soviet Army/Foreign Military Studies Office liaison officer in Washington, D.C. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and Atlantic Council. In 2003, he received the Knight Cross of the Order of Merit from Poland’s president.

This event will also serve as the Western Mass. exhibit opening of “Neighbors in Unity: A Visual Journey Through the Ukrainian War.” Photographs from a traveling exhibition documenting the Russian invasion of Ukraine will be on display in the ninth-floor gallery until 2 p.m.

For those who purchase a meal, box lunches with a choice of sandwich — turkey, tuna, roast beef, or vegetarian — will be available (first come, first served). Lunches also include deli salad, a cookie, chips, and soda or water. Alternatively, attendees may bring their own lunch or choose not to eat. Registration deadline for a lunch provided is Feb. 9. Click here to register.