[No. 013] Technics and Civilization: Dr. Layne Hartsell discusses the war in Ukraine

In this interview, Dr. Layne Hartsell discusses the war in Eurasia with Jean Rafferty and artists at Dove Tales in Glasgow. The group invites people to come to talk with them about current affairs so as to develop a better understanding and what Layne calls “continuing adult education or a form of philosophy.” 

Many in society are “concerned that the very idea of peace is evaporating and that the call for weaponry is escalating – it seems insatiable,” says Rafferty. The current war was foreseeable as both sides had been building up armaments, especially since Maiden 2014 and there is disagreement over the role of NATO in world affairs. 

The war is being escalated with even more powerful weapons supplied to Ukraine along with funding. Also, with the war continuing after a year and encompassing nuclear power plants, the world has witnessed something that never was supposed to happen. Further, escalation increases the probability of miscalculations, errors, and intentional acts that could lead to nuclear war, particularly with tactical weapons that are five to ten times more powerful than the 15 kiloton Hiroshima bomb (Little Boy). 

We discuss the various aspects of the war and history seeking to find understanding of this momentous geopolitical clash and with the outcomes much more ominous than in the past. Optimism is in the continued negotiations that could reach a settlement of a neutral zone along the lines of the Minsk II Agreement. 

Jean Rafferty, is an award-winning journalist and writer of fiction. She is also a Founder of Dove Tales Association for Artists in Glasgow.

Layne Hartsell, MSc, PhD is a board member at the Korea IT Times and is a research professor at the Asia Institute, Berlin/Tokyo in energy, economy, environment (3E). He has worked as a research professor at Sungkyunkwan University and the Advanced Institute for Nanotechnology and Sookmyung Women’s University in South Korea; and also, at the Center for Science, Technology, and Society at Chulalongkorn University in Thailand.