Russia and Hungary have developed very different economies and political systems in the process of postcommunist transition. Nevertheless, a certain convergence takes place in recent years. Vladimir Putin's regime in Russia and Viktor Orban's regime in Hungary combine authoritarianism, national populism, neoliberal reforms and certain economic measures that go beyond neoliberalism. One way to understand this convergence is to study two distinct types of capitalism that emerged in Russia and in Hungary, their contradictions and the role of the state.

In this presentation both upstream (hydrocarbon exploration and production) and downstream (pipelines, refining centers, economics and policy) energy information relevant to Russia will be presented. 2015 has been an interesting year and will be reviewed in some detail. For Russia 2016 will be the year of the DUC wells (drilled but uncompleted) with continued price recovery in oil, but weak prices, oversupply and intense competition in the gas liquids and natural gas resource areas.

In collaboration with the St. Louis non-profit “Italian Film Festival USA,” we are pleased to announce the fourth edition of our three-week-long festival of contemporary, Pittsburgh-premiere Italian films; our festival begins next week, on Friday, April 1 with Francesca Archibugi’s Il nome del figlio. This year, all screenings will be on Pitt’s Oakland campus: the April 2, 8, 14, 15, and 16 screenings will be held at the Frick Fine Arts auditorium, while the April 7 screening will be held in the Cathedral of Learning, in G-24.

A German teacher from Trinity High School reached out to the Center to organize a talk for his students on Germany business and economics. The entire visit was given in German. Here are list of the presenters and the focus of each presentation:

The advent of historical biblical criticism in the late eighteenth century created a seismic shift that seemed to release the Hebrew Bible from its subservience to Christian doctrine. For Goethe and other German writers of this era, the Hebrew Bible began to emerge with striking, new contours, inviting heterodox explorations that had been previously unthinkable, and serving as a surprising source for their very modern fictional worlds.

Europe is under intense military and societal pressure from several directions: from the refugee crisis and the Syrian Conflict in the South to Russian revisionist behavior in the East and Northeast. Former Swedish Prime and Foreign Minister Carl Bildt recently said that Europe is surrounded not by a "ring of friends" but by a "ring of fire." The combination of external pressure and internal financial crisis has created a lot of friction within Europe. In addition, the US shift to the Asian-Pacific means it is no longer playing a leading role in European security affairs.

Greece is at a critical crossroads as a result of the economic and refugee crises. Join us for an interactive video conversation dealing with the increasingly precarious economic, political, and psychological relationship between the EU and one of its most stressed members. Audience participation is encouraged. For more information or to participate remotely, contact kal68@pitt.edu.

Panelists:

Dr. Despina Alexiadou, Assistant Professor of Political Science, University of Pittsburgh

The second in a series of annual UCIS professional development workshops organized for faculty and staff of community colleges in the Western Pennsylvania region with the aim of internationalizing these community college campuses. Presenters from the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University will discuss admissions, orientation, academics and student life in relation to international students attending US colleges.

University of Pittsburgh Chancellor Patrick Gallagher, administrators and staff from Pitt’s European Studies Center and University Center for International Studies, as well as students, staff, and faculty from Pitt, Duquesne University, Carnegie Mellon University, and Carlow University assembled Wednesday, Nov. 18, to show support for the victims of the Paris terrorist attacks and the people of France.

This lecture discusses the various forms of isolation and stigmatization experienced by Jewish communities in Germany in the postwar period and seeks to explore the process of redefining Jewish existence in “the land of the perpetrators.” Competing and conflicting German, Jewish, and international conceptions of Jewish life in Germany that were voiced during the early postwar years play an important role in understanding the process of development within individual Jewish communities in the Federal Republic and the position that German-Jewish organizations occupy within the German as well a