Publication of the journal of conference proceedings from the 5th annual Yale European & Eurasian Studies Graduate Student Conference. The conference was the culmination of a collaborative effort spanning nearly a year and gathering together 45 graduate students and faculty representing 22 institutions worldwide. Throughout the two-day virtual series, speakers shared their interdisciplinary insight into the most pressing challenges facing Europe, Russia, and Eurasia today. The journal features the full papers of the panel participants. The conference was sponsored by the European Studies Council (ESC) of the MacMillan Center at Yale. Also, it was made possible by a determined committee made up of primarily composed of European and Russian MA students, aiming to foster greater exchange of ideas within Yale and beyond, while also enhancing interinstitutional connections with other universities in the US and abroad.