The political outlook of young people in the countries of the former Soviet Union is crucial to their countries’ future political development. This is particularly relevant now as the first generation without firsthand experience of communism at first hand is approaching adulthood. Based on extensive original research and including new survey research amongst young people, this book examines young people’s political outlook in countries of the former Soviet Union; it compares and contrasts Russia, where authoritarianism has begun to reassert itself, and Ukraine, which experienced a democratic breakthrough in the aftermath of the Orange Revolution.

The talk will focus mainly on the factors that went into Soviet decision-making regarding policy towards dissident groups, and how the factors varied depending on the time period and the nature of each group. The speaker will also make use of archival materials that show how seriously the Soviet leaders took dissident issues and how the Politbureau was sometimes divided and even paralyzed for a year or two over what to do about them.

Sarah B. Snyder explores how, in the aftermath of the signing of the Helsinki Final Act, a transnational network of activists committed to human rights in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe made the topic a central element in East-West diplomacy.

Wilson Center Public Policy Scholar Shen Zhihua will discuss his latest book, After Leaning to One Side: China and Its Allies in the Cold War.