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A New Russia? A New Cold War? Reflections on a Tense Year

If Russia is (or is not) different, what can we expect to happen in the coming months? Is there anything the United States can do to improve relations with the Russian government?

Panel of UW Experts: Yoshiko Herrera (political science), David McDonald (history), and Irina Shevelenko (Slavic languages). Moderated by Ted Gerber (sociology and director of CREECA).

Is this a different Russia than it was one year ago?" One reads a lot of commentary these days making precisely this assertion: the combination of nationalist fervor in favor of the Crimean annexation, equation of any dissent with treason, and massive popular support for Putin equate to a qualitatively different Russian society than that which had existed until the Crimean annexation. If Russia is (or is not) different, what can we expect to happen in the coming months? Is there anything the United States can do to improve relations with the Russian government? Or, are we in for a new period of "cold war" relations regardless of any action we might take? Are there any grounds for hope that the situation could improve within Russia? You’ll find compelling answers to all these questions from this distinguished panel of experts.

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