Russia and Eurasia Events
Energy Politics in Central Eurasia
March 28, 2012 // 3:30pm — 5:30pm
Kennan Institute
Spotlight on Central Eurasia Series // Stacy Closson argues that Central Asia is an energy and water rich region that, if cooperative, could cover their annual shortages of electricity, which range roughly around 25%, as well as decrease costs of energy, and protect the environment. Instead, the leaders have engaged in hostile practices that not only cause problems across borders and waste foreign investment and assistance, but also limit their developmental possibilities. Gregory Gleason notes that inherently non-transparent and centralized fixed energy infrastructures such as oil and gas pipelines and electric grids obscure financial transactions and are susceptible to political manipulation. Gleason, in his analysis of "power politics," explains why he sees the rapid pace of technology-driven market volatility in Eurasian markets as swiftly shifting Central Asian trends.
Who “Owns” The Arctic?: An International and Interdisciplinary Conference [Chapel Hill, NC]
March 28, 2012 // 1:45pm — 6:45pm
Canada Institute
The Wilson Center’s Canada Institute and Kennan Institute, with the Center for Canadian Studies at Duke University, joined UNC Chapel Hill’s Center for Slavic, Eurasian, and East European Studies (CSEEES) to host Who “Owns” The Arctic?: An International and Interdisciplinary Conference on March 28, 2012 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The conference brought together policymakers, academics, students, and environmentalists to explore diverse issues related to Arctic resource and energy management from Russian, Canadian, American, and other perspectives.
The Kazakh Famine of 1930-33 and the Politics of History in the Post-Soviet Space
March 26, 2012 // 12:00pm — 1:00pm
Kennan Institute
Sparked by Stalin’s brutal policies, the Kazakh famine of 1930-1933 devastated Soviet Kazakhstan, leading to the death of more than a quarter of the republic’s population. Today, competing portraits of this disaster play a crucial role in the politics of history across the former Soviet space, particularly in Kazakhstan, Russia and Ukraine. In her talk, Dr. Cameron will examine the causes and consequences of the Kazakh famine, with particular emphasis on the catastrophe’s reverberations today.
Regional Perspectives on the 2012 Nuclear Security Summit
March 21, 2012 // 3:00pm — 5:30pm
Asia Program
On March 26-27, Seoul will host the second Nuclear Security Summit, an initiative established by the Obama administration in Washington in 2010. Fifty world leaders, as well as scores of NGOs and industry and business representatives on the periphery of the central meeting, will discuss the summit’s main aim: to prevent loose nuclear materials from falling into the hands of terrorists. Naturally, different regional actors will have different agendas and priorities for the summit, and it is therefore important to consider the issues and concerns for Northeast Asian, South Asian, Middle Eastern, and former Soviet states and stakeholders.
Prospects for American Investors in Kazakhstan
March 19, 2012 // 12:00pm — 1:00pm
Kennan Institute
William Veale, Executive Director, U.S.-Kazakhstan Business Association
The Present Situation in Ukraine
March 12, 2012 // 12:00pm — 1:00pm
Kennan Institute
William Green Miller, Senior Policy Scholar, Woodrow Wilson Center , and former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine
Elections and Political Unrest in Russia: Causes and Prospects
March 07, 2012 // 4:00pm — 5:30pm
European Studies
The biggest protest wave since collapse of the Soviet Union will be discussed with Oleg Kozlovsky, a Russian democratic activist and Director of Vision of Tomorrow Foundation.
Assessing the Implications of the Russian Presidential Election
March 07, 2012 // 10:00am — 12:00pm
Kennan Institute
The Kennan Institute will sponsor a Moscow-Washington, DC seminar assessing the implications of the first round of the Russian presidential vote. U.S. commentators will be joined via video conference in Moscow with some of Russia’s leading political actors, including Alexei Navalny and Vladimir Ryzhkov.
A History of the Boycott: Economic Nationalism in Russian Poland, 1880-1914
March 05, 2012 // 12:00pm — 1:00pm
Kennan Institute
“This history of Łódź is also a history of Russian imperialism,” noted Yedida Kanfer, Title VIII-Supported Research Scholar, Kennan Institute, at a 5 March 2012 Kennan Institute discussion. Kanfer examined the notions of economic nationalism and economic self-sufficiency as they developed in Russian Poland over the years 1880 through 1914. Specifically, the speaker examined those concepts through the prism of the city of Łódź, the ethnically diverse industrial center of Russian Poland.
Stalin and the Turkish Crisis of the Cold War, 1945-1953
February 28, 2012 // 4:00pm — 5:30pm
History and Public Policy Program
Jamil Hasanli, former Wilson Center scholar and professor of history at Baku State University will discuss his latest book, "Stalin and the Turkish Crisis of the Cold War, 1945-1953." Hasanli will explore the ups and downs of Soviet-Turkish relations during and immediately after World War II.