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Alexandru Racu

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I have a MA in South-East European Studies on the relation between nationalism and Orthodoxy in the 19th century Balkans and a Ph.D. dissertation on the political theology of Joseph de Maistre and Dostoyevsky. Recently, I published a book on the theological justification of neoliberalism in post-communist Romania.

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University of Oxford

Mariana Bafană

Ovidius University of Constanta

Mihaela (Buzatu) Ilie

Universitatea din Craiova

Laura Mina - Raiu

The Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies

Sergiu Mișcoiu

Babes-Bolyai University

Simona Nicoleta Vulpe

University of Bucharest

University of Bucharest

Constantin Brancusi

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Papers by Alexandru Racu

The Romanian Orthodox Church and Its Attitude Towards the Public Health Measures Imposed During the Covid-19 Pandemic: Too Much for Some, Too Little for Others

Analogia: The Pemptousia Journal for Theological Studies, 2022

This paper discusses the religious dimension of the public debate concerning the publi... more This paper discusses the religious dimension of the public debate concerning the public health measures adopted by the Romanian authorities during the pandemic and focuses on the role played by the Romanian Orthodox Church within this context. It delineates the different camps that were formed within the Church in this regard and traces their evolution throughout the pandemic. It contextualizes the position of the Church in order to better understand it, placing it within the broader context of the Romanian society during the pandemic and integrating it within the longer history of post-communist relations between the Romanian Orthodox Church, the Romanian state and the Romanian civil society. It analyses the political impact of the public health measures and the role of the Church in shaping this impact. Finally, starting from the Romanian experience of the pandemic and from the ideological, theological and political disputes that it has generated within the Romanian public sphere, it develops some general conclusions regarding the relation between faith, science and politics whose relevance, if proven valid, surpasses the Romanian context and thus contributes to a more ecumenical discussion regarding the theological, pastoral and political lessons that can be learned from an otherwise tragic experience.

John Mearsheimer and the quarrel over the war in Ukraine

's decision to invade Ukraine on the 24 th of February 2022 has had many major diplomatic, politi... more 's decision to invade Ukraine on the 24 th of February 2022 has had many major diplomatic, political, economic and social consequences. But another consequence of this epochal decision was that it brought into the spotlight an academic figure that up until then was known only by the minority of academics who study International Relations. That person is Professor John J. Mearsheimer, the R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Professor at the University Chicago, considered by some as the most important realist theorist of his generation. After Russia's invasion, his controversial 2015 public lecture delivered at the University of Chicago, in which he claimed that the crisis in Ukraine is the West's fault 1 , skyrocketed to 27 million views on YouTube, and Mearsheimer thus became a public celebrity. Some viewed him as a prophet who warned the West of the terrible consequences of pushing for Ukraine's integration into NATO and the EU. Legendary Pink Floyd frontman and political activist, Roger Waters, stated in an interview with CNN that since 2004, Mearsheimer has been "talking about the horrific danger" of expanding NATO eastwards, contrary to the promise made by George Bush Sr. to Mikhail Gorbachev in 1990 2. But liberals and Atlanticists were outraged by his supposedly immoral views, accusing him of shamefully shifting blame for the war in Ukraine from the evil Russian aggressor to the Ukrainian victim and the noble Western Democratic Crusader which is making great efforts to protect it. Some went as far as to suggest, more or less explicitly, that he is Putin's stooge, that he should be deplatformed or that he should be pressured by the University where he is teaching to recant 3. 1 John Mearsheimer, Why Is Ukraine the West's Fault? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrMiSQAGOS4&t=1431s&ab_channel=TheUniversityofChicago 2 Roger Waters Uncut. Interview with Michael Smerconish recorded in Philadelphia. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZsRj3_iDfM&t=762s&ab_channel=MichaelSmerconish. While Vladimir Putin claims that such a verbal agreement to not to expand NATO eastward existed, the United States denies its existence. 3 At the beginning of the war, the well-known Atlanticist historian and journalist Anne Applebaum "wondered" in a tweet "whether the Russians didn't actually get their narrative from Mearsheimer et al."

From Ecclesiology to Christian Populism. The Religious and Political Thought of Russian Slavophiles

The Friend/Enemy Distinction and its Ethical Implications: A Critical Analysis of Carl Schmitt’s Political Thought

Gnosis, May 9, 2011

Four Ways of Viewing Modernity: A Critical Reading of Ellen Meiksins Wood’s Origin of Capitalism

This article represents a critical reading of Ellen Meiksins Wood's book The Origin of Capita... more This article represents a critical reading of Ellen Meiksins Wood's book The Origin of Capitalism. In the first part of the article, I present Wood's thesis concerning the historical origin of capitalism and its political implications. In the second part of the article, I discuss Wood's distinction between two types of modernity, a French democratic modernity and an English capitalist modernity, analyzing the limits of Wood's critique of postmodernism and extending the debate concerning modernity in such a way as to include the Conservative critique of modernity articulated in the wake of the French Revolution. Finally, I discuss the relevance of Wood's book for the key issues facing contemporary civilization, and the limits of her political project.

Non-voting in the 2018 Romanian referendum: the importance of initiators, campaigning and issue saliency

Political Science, 2019

ABSTRACT The requirement of a participation quorum for validity makes non-voting in referendums a... more ABSTRACT The requirement of a participation quorum for validity makes non-voting in referendums an important type of voting behaviour. This article seeks to explain non-voting in a referendum where the expectation was to have high turnout but where in reality only few voted, i.e. the 2018 referendum on the topic of same-sex marriage in Romania. Our explanations are inspired by the literature on turnout on elections to which we add several specific features of referendums. We propose three major sets of factors derived from the literature: access to resources, strategic decisions and campaign issues. The analysis relies on 36 semi-structured interviews with individuals aged 18 and above conducted in several urban and rural localities throughout Romania between December 2018 and March 2019.

Modernity and the Theologico-Political Problem in the Thought of Joseph de Maistre and Fyodor Dostoyevsky: A Comprehensive Comparison

theory but as the authentic ecclesial experience. This alone was the way for saving the West from... more theory but as the authentic ecclesial experience. This alone was the way for saving the West from its contradictions and, moreover, for saving everything in the West that ultimately bore the seal of Christianity: “all the good and the beautiful, all the great and glorious things” 739 . “A quoi bon, en effet”, Kireevsky wrote, “rejeter et mepriser ce qui etait et ce qui est bon dans la vie de l’Occident? Cela n’est-il pas”, Kireevsky continued, “l’expression de notre principe, si notre principe est le vrai” 740 ? For Khomiakov, as well as for Dostoyevsky, Europe represented 735 On the traces of Khomiakov, Dostoyevsky will argue that Roman Catholicism is worse than atheism. 736 Aleksei Khomiakov, “Some Remarks by an Orthodox Christian Concerning the Western Communions, on the Occasion of a Letter Published by the Archbishop of Paris”, in On Spiritual Unity, pp. 113-114. 737 Ibidem, p. 113. 738 Ibidem, p. 103. 739 Ibidem, p. 115. 740 Cf. Oeuvres completes de I. Kireievski (redaction de...

When cultural strength means political weakness: Romania’s marriage referendum and the paradox of conservative mobilisation

Moravian Geographical Reports

Held on 6–7 October 2018, the Romanian referendum on the topic of gay marriage was the fourth ref... more Held on 6–7 October 2018, the Romanian referendum on the topic of gay marriage was the fourth referendum of this kind organised in East Central Europe over a five-year period. Because turnout was low in all of them and demands explanation, this paper: i) discusses the common characteristics of these Eastern European marriage referendums, contextualising the Romanian referendum; ii) overviews the history of the Romanian referendum, emphasising the legal, political, ideological and societal aspects; iii) quantitatively examines the electoral geography of the voting patterns; and iv) interprets qualitative data seeking to understand the voters’ choices and why conservative mobilisation was so weak.

The Friend/Enemy Distinction and its Ethical Implications: A Critical Analysis of Carl Schmitt's Political Thought

Gnosis, 2011

Non-voting in the 2018 Romanian referendum: the importance of initiators, campaigning and issue saliency

Political Science, 2020

The requirement of a participation quorum for validity makes non-voting in referendums an importa... more The requirement of a participation quorum for validity makes non-voting in referendums an important type of voting behaviour. This article seeks to explain non-voting in a referendum where the expectation was to have high turnout but where in reality only few voted, i.e. the 2018 referendum on the topic of same-sex marriage in Romania. Our explanations are inspired by the literature on turnout on elections to which we add several specific features of referendums. We propose three major sets of factors derived from the literature: access to resources, strategic decisions and campaign issues. The analysis relies on 36 semi-structured interviews with individuals aged 18 and above conducted in several urban and rural localities throughout Romania between December 2018 and March 2019.

www.studiasociologia.ro http://www.studia.ubbcluj.ro/ studiasociologia@socasis.ubbcluj.ro Studia ... more

Four Ways of Viewing Modernity: A Critical Reading of Ellen Meiksins Wood's Origin of Capitalism

This article represents a critical reading of Ellen Meiksins Wood’s book The Origin of Capitalism... more This article represents a critical reading of Ellen Meiksins Wood’s book The Origin
of Capitalism. In the first part of the article, I present Wood’s thesis concerning the historical origin
of capitalism and its political implications. In the second part of the article, I discuss Wood’s distinction
between two types of modernity, a French democratic modernity and an English capitalist modernity,
analyzing the limits of Wood’s critique of postmodernism and extending the debate concerning modernity
in such a way as to include the Conservative critique of modernity articulated in the wake of the French
Revolution. Finally, I discuss the relevance of Wood’s book for the key issues facing contemporary civilization,
and the limits of her political project.

On Tyranny: The Debate between Leo Strauss and Alexandre Kojève

This article analyzes the debate between Leo Strauss and Alexandre Kojève that has been published... more This article analyzes the debate between Leo Strauss and Alexandre Kojève that has been published in the volume On Tyranny, recently translated into Romanian. The subject of the debate is the nature of philosophy and the relation between philosophy and politics. While for Strauss the separation between philosophy and politics is natural and rooted in the unsurpassable distinction between philosophers and non-philosophers, Kojève insists that philosophy's quest cannot be accomplished by the individual mind but only by the Hegelian progress of reason which implies the interconnection between philosophy and politics. In a slightly modified version, this articled has already been published in Romanian in Observator Cultural, No. 760, February, 2015. Within the Polemos series, Tact Publishing House from Cluj-Napoca has published last year (2014) the translation of one of the most noteworthy polemics in the history of political philosophy from the 20th century, the polemic between Leo Strauss and Alexandre Kojève that starts from the interpretation of the classical text Hiero or On Tyranny written by Xenophon. The stake of the debate is situated beyond the hermeneutical exercise, its object being the very nature of the philosophical exercise and of its relation with the political. In what follows, after briefly introducing Strauss's philosophical thought, I will discuss the content and the implications of his debate with Kojève.

Strauss’s Machiavelli and Dostoyevsky’s Grand Inquisitor

From Ecclesiology to Christian Populism: The Religious and Political Thought of the Russian Slavophiles

This article represents an analysis of the religious and political thought of Slavophiles and con... more This article represents an analysis of the religious and political thought of Slavophiles and concentrates on the way in which Slavophile ecclesiology and epistemology lead to a form of Christian populism and to a messianic vision of history in which the key role is played by the Russian people. The article emphasises the paradoxes of the Slavophile theological and political thought, as well as its political implications at the level of the 19 th century Russian society.

Modernity and the theologico-political problem in the thought of Joseph de Maistre and Fyodor Dostoyevsky: A comprehensive comparison

The Friend/Enemy Distinction and its Ethical Implications: A Critical Analysis of Carl Schmitt's Political Thought

Gnosis, 2011

Drafts by Alexandru Racu

John Mearsheimer and the quarrel over the war in Ukraine A star is born

's decision to invade Ukraine on the 24 th of February 2022 has had many major diplomatic, politi... more 's decision to invade Ukraine on the 24 th of February 2022 has had many major diplomatic, political, economic and social consequences. But another consequence of this epochal decision was that it brought into the spotlight an academic figure that up until then was known only by the minority of academics who study International Relations. That person is Professor John J. Mearsheimer, the R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Professor at the University Chicago, considered by some as the most important realist theorist of his generation. After Russia's invasion, his controversial 2015 public lecture delivered at the University of Chicago, in which he claimed that the crisis in Ukraine is the West's fault 1 , skyrocketed to 27 million views on YouTube, and Mearsheimer thus became a public celebrity. Some viewed him as a prophet who warned the West of the terrible consequences of pushing for Ukraine's integration into NATO and the EU. Legendary Pink Floyd frontman and political activist, Roger Waters,

The Romanian Orthodox Church and Its Attitude Towards the Public Health Measures Imposed During the Covid-19 Pandemic: Too Much for Some, Too Little for Others

Analogia: The Pemptousia Journal for Theological Studies, 2022

This paper discusses the religious dimension of the public debate concerning the publi... more This paper discusses the religious dimension of the public debate concerning the public health measures adopted by the Romanian authorities during the pandemic and focuses on the role played by the Romanian Orthodox Church within this context. It delineates the different camps that were formed within the Church in this regard and traces their evolution throughout the pandemic. It contextualizes the position of the Church in order to better understand it, placing it within the broader context of the Romanian society during the pandemic and integrating it within the longer history of post-communist relations between the Romanian Orthodox Church, the Romanian state and the Romanian civil society. It analyses the political impact of the public health measures and the role of the Church in shaping this impact. Finally, starting from the Romanian experience of the pandemic and from the ideological, theological and political disputes that it has generated within the Romanian public sphere, it develops some general conclusions regarding the relation between faith, science and politics whose relevance, if proven valid, surpasses the Romanian context and thus contributes to a more ecumenical discussion regarding the theological, pastoral and political lessons that can be learned from an otherwise tragic experience.

John Mearsheimer and the quarrel over the war in Ukraine

's decision to invade Ukraine on the 24 th of February 2022 has had many major diplomatic, politi... more 's decision to invade Ukraine on the 24 th of February 2022 has had many major diplomatic, political, economic and social consequences. But another consequence of this epochal decision was that it brought into the spotlight an academic figure that up until then was known only by the minority of academics who study International Relations. That person is Professor John J. Mearsheimer, the R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Professor at the University Chicago, considered by some as the most important realist theorist of his generation. After Russia's invasion, his controversial 2015 public lecture delivered at the University of Chicago, in which he claimed that the crisis in Ukraine is the West's fault 1 , skyrocketed to 27 million views on YouTube, and Mearsheimer thus became a public celebrity. Some viewed him as a prophet who warned the West of the terrible consequences of pushing for Ukraine's integration into NATO and the EU. Legendary Pink Floyd frontman and political activist, Roger Waters, stated in an interview with CNN that since 2004, Mearsheimer has been "talking about the horrific danger" of expanding NATO eastwards, contrary to the promise made by George Bush Sr. to Mikhail Gorbachev in 1990 2. But liberals and Atlanticists were outraged by his supposedly immoral views, accusing him of shamefully shifting blame for the war in Ukraine from the evil Russian aggressor to the Ukrainian victim and the noble Western Democratic Crusader which is making great efforts to protect it. Some went as far as to suggest, more or less explicitly, that he is Putin's stooge, that he should be deplatformed or that he should be pressured by the University where he is teaching to recant 3. 1 John Mearsheimer, Why Is Ukraine the West's Fault? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrMiSQAGOS4&t=1431s&ab_channel=TheUniversityofChicago 2 Roger Waters Uncut. Interview with Michael Smerconish recorded in Philadelphia. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZsRj3_iDfM&t=762s&ab_channel=MichaelSmerconish. While Vladimir Putin claims that such a verbal agreement to not to expand NATO eastward existed, the United States denies its existence. 3 At the beginning of the war, the well-known Atlanticist historian and journalist Anne Applebaum "wondered" in a tweet "whether the Russians didn't actually get their narrative from Mearsheimer et al."

From Ecclesiology to Christian Populism. The Religious and Political Thought of Russian Slavophiles

The Friend/Enemy Distinction and its Ethical Implications: A Critical Analysis of Carl Schmitt’s Political Thought

Gnosis, May 9, 2011

Four Ways of Viewing Modernity: A Critical Reading of Ellen Meiksins Wood’s Origin of Capitalism

This article represents a critical reading of Ellen Meiksins Wood's book The Origin of Capita... more This article represents a critical reading of Ellen Meiksins Wood's book The Origin of Capitalism. In the first part of the article, I present Wood's thesis concerning the historical origin of capitalism and its political implications. In the second part of the article, I discuss Wood's distinction between two types of modernity, a French democratic modernity and an English capitalist modernity, analyzing the limits of Wood's critique of postmodernism and extending the debate concerning modernity in such a way as to include the Conservative critique of modernity articulated in the wake of the French Revolution. Finally, I discuss the relevance of Wood's book for the key issues facing contemporary civilization, and the limits of her political project.

Non-voting in the 2018 Romanian referendum: the importance of initiators, campaigning and issue saliency

Political Science, 2019

ABSTRACT The requirement of a participation quorum for validity makes non-voting in referendums a... more ABSTRACT The requirement of a participation quorum for validity makes non-voting in referendums an important type of voting behaviour. This article seeks to explain non-voting in a referendum where the expectation was to have high turnout but where in reality only few voted, i.e. the 2018 referendum on the topic of same-sex marriage in Romania. Our explanations are inspired by the literature on turnout on elections to which we add several specific features of referendums. We propose three major sets of factors derived from the literature: access to resources, strategic decisions and campaign issues. The analysis relies on 36 semi-structured interviews with individuals aged 18 and above conducted in several urban and rural localities throughout Romania between December 2018 and March 2019.

Modernity and the Theologico-Political Problem in the Thought of Joseph de Maistre and Fyodor Dostoyevsky: A Comprehensive Comparison

theory but as the authentic ecclesial experience. This alone was the way for saving the West from... more theory but as the authentic ecclesial experience. This alone was the way for saving the West from its contradictions and, moreover, for saving everything in the West that ultimately bore the seal of Christianity: “all the good and the beautiful, all the great and glorious things” 739 . “A quoi bon, en effet”, Kireevsky wrote, “rejeter et mepriser ce qui etait et ce qui est bon dans la vie de l’Occident? Cela n’est-il pas”, Kireevsky continued, “l’expression de notre principe, si notre principe est le vrai” 740 ? For Khomiakov, as well as for Dostoyevsky, Europe represented 735 On the traces of Khomiakov, Dostoyevsky will argue that Roman Catholicism is worse than atheism. 736 Aleksei Khomiakov, “Some Remarks by an Orthodox Christian Concerning the Western Communions, on the Occasion of a Letter Published by the Archbishop of Paris”, in On Spiritual Unity, pp. 113-114. 737 Ibidem, p. 113. 738 Ibidem, p. 103. 739 Ibidem, p. 115. 740 Cf. Oeuvres completes de I. Kireievski (redaction de...

When cultural strength means political weakness: Romania’s marriage referendum and the paradox of conservative mobilisation

Moravian Geographical Reports

Held on 6–7 October 2018, the Romanian referendum on the topic of gay marriage was the fourth ref... more Held on 6–7 October 2018, the Romanian referendum on the topic of gay marriage was the fourth referendum of this kind organised in East Central Europe over a five-year period. Because turnout was low in all of them and demands explanation, this paper: i) discusses the common characteristics of these Eastern European marriage referendums, contextualising the Romanian referendum; ii) overviews the history of the Romanian referendum, emphasising the legal, political, ideological and societal aspects; iii) quantitatively examines the electoral geography of the voting patterns; and iv) interprets qualitative data seeking to understand the voters’ choices and why conservative mobilisation was so weak.

The Friend/Enemy Distinction and its Ethical Implications: A Critical Analysis of Carl Schmitt's Political Thought

Gnosis, 2011

Non-voting in the 2018 Romanian referendum: the importance of initiators, campaigning and issue saliency

Political Science, 2020

The requirement of a participation quorum for validity makes non-voting in referendums an importa... more The requirement of a participation quorum for validity makes non-voting in referendums an important type of voting behaviour. This article seeks to explain non-voting in a referendum where the expectation was to have high turnout but where in reality only few voted, i.e. the 2018 referendum on the topic of same-sex marriage in Romania. Our explanations are inspired by the literature on turnout on elections to which we add several specific features of referendums. We propose three major sets of factors derived from the literature: access to resources, strategic decisions and campaign issues. The analysis relies on 36 semi-structured interviews with individuals aged 18 and above conducted in several urban and rural localities throughout Romania between December 2018 and March 2019.

www.studiasociologia.ro http://www.studia.ubbcluj.ro/ studiasociologia@socasis.ubbcluj.ro Studia ... more

Four Ways of Viewing Modernity: A Critical Reading of Ellen Meiksins Wood's Origin of Capitalism

This article represents a critical reading of Ellen Meiksins Wood’s book The Origin of Capitalism... more This article represents a critical reading of Ellen Meiksins Wood’s book The Origin
of Capitalism. In the first part of the article, I present Wood’s thesis concerning the historical origin
of capitalism and its political implications. In the second part of the article, I discuss Wood’s distinction
between two types of modernity, a French democratic modernity and an English capitalist modernity,
analyzing the limits of Wood’s critique of postmodernism and extending the debate concerning modernity
in such a way as to include the Conservative critique of modernity articulated in the wake of the French
Revolution. Finally, I discuss the relevance of Wood’s book for the key issues facing contemporary civilization,
and the limits of her political project.

On Tyranny: The Debate between Leo Strauss and Alexandre Kojève

This article analyzes the debate between Leo Strauss and Alexandre Kojève that has been published... more This article analyzes the debate between Leo Strauss and Alexandre Kojève that has been published in the volume On Tyranny, recently translated into Romanian. The subject of the debate is the nature of philosophy and the relation between philosophy and politics. While for Strauss the separation between philosophy and politics is natural and rooted in the unsurpassable distinction between philosophers and non-philosophers, Kojève insists that philosophy's quest cannot be accomplished by the individual mind but only by the Hegelian progress of reason which implies the interconnection between philosophy and politics. In a slightly modified version, this articled has already been published in Romanian in Observator Cultural, No. 760, February, 2015. Within the Polemos series, Tact Publishing House from Cluj-Napoca has published last year (2014) the translation of one of the most noteworthy polemics in the history of political philosophy from the 20th century, the polemic between Leo Strauss and Alexandre Kojève that starts from the interpretation of the classical text Hiero or On Tyranny written by Xenophon. The stake of the debate is situated beyond the hermeneutical exercise, its object being the very nature of the philosophical exercise and of its relation with the political. In what follows, after briefly introducing Strauss's philosophical thought, I will discuss the content and the implications of his debate with Kojève.

Strauss’s Machiavelli and Dostoyevsky’s Grand Inquisitor

From Ecclesiology to Christian Populism: The Religious and Political Thought of the Russian Slavophiles

This article represents an analysis of the religious and political thought of Slavophiles and con... more This article represents an analysis of the religious and political thought of Slavophiles and concentrates on the way in which Slavophile ecclesiology and epistemology lead to a form of Christian populism and to a messianic vision of history in which the key role is played by the Russian people. The article emphasises the paradoxes of the Slavophile theological and political thought, as well as its political implications at the level of the 19 th century Russian society.

Modernity and the theologico-political problem in the thought of Joseph de Maistre and Fyodor Dostoyevsky: A comprehensive comparison

The Friend/Enemy Distinction and its Ethical Implications: A Critical Analysis of Carl Schmitt's Political Thought

Gnosis, 2011

John Mearsheimer and the quarrel over the war in Ukraine A star is born

's decision to invade Ukraine on the 24 th of February 2022 has had many major diplomatic, politi... more 's decision to invade Ukraine on the 24 th of February 2022 has had many major diplomatic, political, economic and social consequences. But another consequence of this epochal decision was that it brought into the spotlight an academic figure that up until then was known only by the minority of academics who study International Relations. That person is Professor John J. Mearsheimer, the R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Professor at the University Chicago, considered by some as the most important realist theorist of his generation. After Russia's invasion, his controversial 2015 public lecture delivered at the University of Chicago, in which he claimed that the crisis in Ukraine is the West's fault 1 , skyrocketed to 27 million views on YouTube, and Mearsheimer thus became a public celebrity. Some viewed him as a prophet who warned the West of the terrible consequences of pushing for Ukraine's integration into NATO and the EU. Legendary Pink Floyd frontman and political activist, Roger Waters,