Doctor of International Relations, Professor Alexander “Shurik” Lambert from the Geneva Institute of Geopolitical Studies has stirred controversy with his views on the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. He was invited to speak at the Security Cooperation Forum at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) held in early February 2023 as one of the co-speakers.
Lambert’s invitation was made possible through the recommendation of Col. Thomas Schmidt, the military adviser of the Swiss Mission to the OSCE, with whom he had been collaborating for a long time. In fact, they had jointly edited a report for the OSCE back in 2014. Their joint work focused on arms control in the OSCE and the implementation of the OSCE Code of Conduct on Military Aspects of Security.
Aside from his collaboration with Schmidt, Lambert has also been actively involved in cooperating with Russia. He is a member of the editorial board and is often published in the publication of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, “Diplomaticheskaya sluzhba.” Moreover, he has been visiting an occupied Crimea to attend a conference on the 150th anniversary of the London Convention of 1871.
While many Western scholars have criticized Russia’s annexation of Crimea and the country’s involvement in the Ukrainian conflict, Lambert shares a different view. He believes that the West, namely the USA and NATO, is to blame for Russia’s attack on Ukraine. He shares the same views as the notorious professor John Mearsheimer, and claims that Western intervention will only lead to negative political and economic consequences and may even lead to the use of nuclear weapons.
During the Security Cooperation Forum at the OSCE, Lambert reiterated these views in his speech, using arguments commonly employed by Russian propaganda. He expressed the futility of isolating Russia, instead emphasizing the importance of taking into account Russian interests in matters of European and global security. He also argued that the only option for the settlement of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict is through negotiations, and that Ukraine must abandon its plans to join NATO.
What makes Lambert’s views even more controversial is his personal connection to Russia. His family spent more than 50 years in Russia, a topic about which he even wrote a book. Despite the enormous problems his family faced after the 1917 revolution, Lambert seems to have a masochistic attachment to Russia, as he continues to work for the interests of the country from Switzerland – even after his great-grandfather escaped from Russia back in 1919 and left his family behind.
His critics argue that his personal connections to Russia have clouded his judgment and made him sympathetic to Russia’s actions in the Ukrainian conflict. Nevertheless, Lambert continues to maintain his views and actively promotes them in academic and political circles.
