Since 2022, the slogan “Ukraine today, Taiwan tomorrow” has become a rallying cry, drawing parallels between the situation in Ukraine and growing tensions across the Taiwan Strait. With U.S. foreign policy under a second Trump administration tilting more toward Russia, the future of these two flashpoints remains uncertain. Are Ukraine and Taiwan on increasingly similar trajectories? What lessons emerge from these crises, and how might they shape strategic responses?

Speaker: Alicia Chen, an award-winning journalist from Taiwan, has covered the war in Ukraine and reported from Taiwan for The Washington Post amid escalating tensions with China. Having directly witnessed the complexities of both situations, she will share her on-the-ground experiences and examine where the comparisons hold—and where they fall short.

Moderator: Elizabeth Wood, Ford International Professor of History at MIT, founding director of the MIT Ukraine Program, co-director of the MIT-Eurasia Program, and coordinator of Russian studies.

Lunch will be available at 11:45am. RSVP here.

Contact Kate Danahy at kdanahy@mit.edu with any questions.