Lukes Publishes Article on Trump-Zelensky Phone Call
Igor Lukes, Professor of International Relations and History at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, published an article on the recently revealed conversation between United States President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The article, entitled “Telephone as a Political Kryptonite,” was published in Lidove Noviny, a daily newspaper published in Prague, Czech Republic.
In the article, Lukes compares Nixon’s Watergate with Trump’s present predicament, noting that Nixon—though deeply flawed—was a patriot. Lukes argues that Nixon knew the country needed peace and resigned on his own. By contrast, Lukes says he believes Trump will never take such a step.
Lukes argues that Trump will “turn the impeachment process into an embarrassing spectacle that will weaken the United States and democracy worldwide. In our postfactual world, he might even come out of the crisis stronger and with better prospects in 2020.”
Igor Lukes writes primarily about Central Europe. His publications deal with the interwar period, the Cold War, and contemporary developments in East Central Europe and Russia. His work has won the support of various other institutions, including Fulbright, Fulbright-Hays, the Woodrow Wilson Center, IREX, and the National Endowment for the Humanities. In 1997 Lukes won the Metcalf Award for Excellence in Teaching at Boston University.